Dark Echo
by SkyflowerWarriors
Summary: "To bring peace and harmony, find the breeze and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo."
1. Prologue

_The storm was treacherous._ The wind screamed in agony as it tore at the trees. Rain clouds covered the sky and swirled violently. Any trace of the sun was suffocated into oblivion, and the rain gushed on the ground like there was no tomorrow. Lightning crackled, and the rain poured down on a small den made of twigs and leaves, where a mother and her only kit were inside. The little kit raised her drenched, heavy head.

"Mother, can you tell me a story?" she mewed.

"Of course, dear." Mother gently licked the kit's ears. "Do you want to hear about the prophecy of the Dark Echo?"

"Yes, please!" The kit's little body trembled with excitement. She _loved_ this story.

Mother cleared her throat. "A long time ago, before there was war in the world, there were two friends who brought peace and harmony throughout the world. These friends were known as the Peacemakers, and their names were Flame and Echo. Everyone thought that this peace would be absolute, until one day..."

The she-kit's eyes rounded with amazement. "What happened then, Mother?"

Mother meowed, "Well, one day, the two friends were walking together towards the Barren Lands, where a spirit made of pure evil, called Darkness, was forced to live. Flame and Echo's primary task was to spread their friendship and harmony towards the citizens of these lands. But Darkness devised a plan to begin chaos by possessing one of the two Peacemakers. While Flame and Echo were asleep, Darkness possessed Echo. Echo, now consumed by evil, started a battle against Flame."

The small kit yawned. Sleep began closing in on her as her eyelids began to grow heavy.

"A few years later, with Flame's forces nearly defeated," she continued, "he desperately went to the Spirits of Knowledge for help, located deep in the Cave of Shadows. They told him a way to exile Echo, but it would also end in treachery for his friend. Flame stayed overnight to decide on what he should do. The next day, he reluctantly agreed to the Spirits' plan. So, Flame confronted his best friend, and exiled her into the deepest part of the Cave of Shadows, where the spirits guarded and made sure that no one would find her. So peace remained in the world, but the small part of darkness still remained. That is why there is evil in the world."

"And," she added, waiting for the strike of lightning to pass, "the night before Echo was exiled, her normal spirit came in Flame's dream saying, 'To bring peace and harmony, find the breeze and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo.' That is why I named you Echo, because I know one day you will be the one who finds the breeze and the wind. The one who will bring peace to our world..." Mother's voice trailed off, and a heartbeat later she disappeared.

"Mother, no!" Echo screamed. "Come back-I can't lose you now!" The vision started to dissolve into blackness. Everything was gone. Echo felt herself starting to be strangled by an invisible ghost.

"Let-let go of me," she rasped weakly. For some reason, the invisible something abided.

And with that, she was plunged into eternal darkness.


	2. Saved-by strangers?

_Echo gasped, struggling to_ breathe. Then, she noticed that she was safe. _Not again!_ she groaned inwardly. Echo was still by the same rotting tree. She pulled herself to her paws and continued to travel.  
The calm breeze reassured the dark tabby she-cat. This part of the forest was calm, almost welcoming to her. The only problem that Echo didn't notice was that a wild dog was poised in the bushes, ready to attack. Echo realized something: that the forest was too quiet. Too peaceful.  
And that was when the dog attacked. Claws scratched at her body and eyesight went bloodred. _I'm going to die right now,_ Echo thought with horror.  
Suddenly, she heard the loud yowls of other cats. By this time, the pain was too hard to ignore, and darkness overcame her vision.

Echo opened her eyes to find out she was in a starry, grassy land. She walked around, enjoying the scenery. Then, a cat with stars in his fur walked towards her.  
"Who are you?" she meowed.  
"Don't you know me?" The cat's flame-colored pelt looked familiar. "I was the one that first got the Dark Echo prophecy."  
Echo gasped. "Flame! I can't believe-"  
Flame hushed her with his tail. "There is not enough time to talk too much," he meowed sternly. "Darkness has grown stronger in its many years of imprisonment. He has grown almost strong enough to break free."  
Echo didn't say anything. She was too shocked.  
"Remember the prophecy," he continued, but he was starting to fade. "Beware of the Dark-" He disappeared.  
"Flame? I knew you were going to say something else! Where did you go?!"  
The vision began to fade.

Echo woke up with a start, but in a few heartbeats she knew that this was a different place. A she-cat was sorting plants hurriedly. She looked up at her and smiled.  
"You're finally awake. Well, stay here for a moment, will you? I need to get Snowstar."

 _Could she be more brief?_ Echo thought sarcastically. _Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into!_

Echo looked around the den. It smelled powerfully of herbs and poultices, with leaves and berries sorted into neat piles. Maybe this could be-  
"Hi! Who are you? I'm Moonkit, by the way." A kit, around the same age as her-five moons old-bounced into the den.  
"Um, well...I'm Echo." She shook her pelt, sticky with all different types of leaves. "Where am I?"  
"Where _are_ you?" Moonkit asked. "Well, silly, you're in the IceClan camp! Don't you remember? You were being attacked by this wild dog. One of our patrols found you and chased away the dog-and then you came here!" She added, "I hope you can stay! Then we can be friends!"

 _No way!_ Echo shuddered. _I can't believe I was saved...by strangers._ Then, the cat that was sorting herbs earlier walked back into a den with another she-cat. Moonkit's eyes widened, and she dipped her head, much to Echo's surprise. _She must be their leader..._

"Hi, Snowstar," the kit spoke solemnly. "I was just making sure our visitor felt welcome."

"You may go." Moonkit gave the leader a curt nod, and bounded away. When she was gone, the white cat walked toward her. "So, what were you doing in IceClan territory? I can tell you're not a kittypet, since you look underfed. But before we continue, I need to know your name."

"My name is Echo," she replied boldly. "And I need to leave as soon as possible, please."

"Yes, Echo, but I strongly suggest you stay here until you heal." She flashed a small smile. "Maybe you would be interested in Clan life. Do you understand?"

"Okay. But only until I feel better."

Echo walked to another den which the IceClan cats called the "nursery." Maybe she would find Moonkit or whatever her name was. A few heartbeats later, Moonkit emerged from the nursery and leaped next to her. Her silver pelt shone in the moonlight.

"So, I hear that you're staying with us for a little bit. Yay!" She purred. Echo hated to admit it, but Moonkit wasn't that bad. "Well, anyway, come inside and meet my cousin, Breezekit! I still can't believe he's related to me, though," she muttered.

A small, brown tabby tom was playing with a ginger kit. It seemed like they were playing with a ball of moss. _That looks fun,_ Echo thought. _Maybe I will play with them later._

"The tabby tom is Breezekit, and the other ginger one is Flamekit." Moonkit poked a sleeping kit, her pelt white this time. "And this is Whitekit."

"Anyway, enough introductions and let's have some fun! My mother can tell us a story."

Echo shrugged. She didn't really care, but maybe Moonkit's mother might know about the Dark Echo prophecy.

"Hello, Moonkit," a silver-and-white she-cat purred. Her eyes lightened up when she saw Echo. "And you must be Echo! I'm Skyflower."


	3. Clans are totally weird

After last night, Echo didn't get much sleep. Skyflower was unable to tell her anything about a Dark Echo prophecy, and the response left her with a jumble of questions left in her head. She then remembered what happened before she fell asleep:

 _"Echo, before we go to sleep, do you want to play a game of mossball?" Moonkit asked enthusiastically._

 _"Sure! How do you play?"_

 _Moonkit's eyes widened in surprise. "You never even_ played _mossball before?!"_

 _"Uh...yeah..."_

 _"Okay, I was only half kidding!" The silver she-kit teased. "So, the main goal is just to keep the ball away from your opponent for at least 3 seconds and then you win! Simple enough."_

 _"I guess it sounds simple..." Echo mewed._

 _Moonkit grabbed a small ball of moss and placed it in between them. "Okay. Ready?"_

 _"Ready!"_

 _"3...2...1...GO!"_

 _Echo and Moonkit were almost equally matched. Due to Moonkit's experience on the game, Echo was a little confused still, but remembering the rules combined with the skills she was taught, she made a formidable opponent._

 _The two she-kits writhed on the floor, trying to steal the mossball from each other. Then, after a while of playing, the damaged mossball flew out of the pile. Echo raced toward it, striving to get there before Moonkit. She was so close then, and...she pounced! Echo had it. Moonkit fell on top of her and tried to get the mossball, but this time Echo made sure to keep it secure under her paws._

 _"3...2...1! I win!"_

 _Moonkit was obviously shocked that Echo would beat her, but congratulated her. "Wow, Echo! I have never went against an opponent that I lost to. Great job."_

 _"I had a feeling that I would win," Echo teased._

 _"Well, I bet next time you won't!" Moonkit gave her a playful shove._

 _A few heartbeats later, Echo remembered the Dark Echo prophecy she received. She shuddered at the thought._ Maybe Skyflower knows about it, _she thought. Echo came closer to Moonkit's mother, Skyflower._

 _Skyflower turned her head to face Echo's. "Is there anything wrong, dear?"_

 _Echo felt a wave of embarrassment. "No, I was just wondering if you ever knew a story about a Dark Echo prophecy."_

 _Skyflower looked confused when Echo said that. "A_ Dark Echo _? I'm sorry, Echo, but I've never heard of it. If I happen to learn it from the elders, I would be happy to tell you."_

 _"Okay. Thank you, anyway." Echo walked away with disappointment. Why is it only me who knows about this, and my mother? An image of her dead mother came to mind. That saddened her even more._

No, _she thought._ That is in the past now. Think about your wonderful friends here.

 _Echo sighed miserably and lay down next to a sleeping Moonkit. Maybe the answers would come tomorrow._

 _But before she fell asleep, she noticed Breezekit staring at her._ What is wrong with him? I guess he has staring issues, _she thought._

 _The moonlight quivered and seemed to make the nursery darker._ The prophecy!

Echo returned back into the present, after recalling the memories last night. She still wished she could have slept more, but daylight kept her from any luxuries of sleeping. Moonkit suddenly bounced right in front of her. Echo let out a small yowl of surprise.

"I scared you, Echo! Admit it, I'm great at scaring you!" Moonkit meowed playfully.

Echo rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. You got me." She stared at a light brown tabby that was pointing at other cats and instructing them to go on "patrols." "What is that cat doing?"

Moonkit gave her coat a little shake. "Oh, that's just our deputy Harestorm making the patrols. You have to admit, our Clan is really efficient!"

 _And extremely weird,_ Echo thought. She wished she could ask Moonkit why these cats have two parts in their names, or why they needed patrols when they could hunt separately, or...

"Echo, is there something on your mind?" Moonkit asked. "To be honest, I won't be offended or anything. We get comments from kittypets and other cats outside the Clans that the way we run things are weird."

"Moonkit, I just don't get all of this...why members in your Clan have two-part names or why the deputy's actually really important. Why can't you just hunt whenever you feel like it?" Echo scratched the dirt, frustrated and confused. _How can any kind of cat live like this?_

Moonkit smiled. "Well, I know it's confusing, but if you understand why we do things, it will make a lot more sense. Anyway, why we have two-part names, I don't exactly know. But I learned a _lot_ of things from the elders, my mother, and the other queens. So, when the Clans were first created, they had two parts to their names. The leaders too. Also StarClan, too. So, I guess because of that every cat in the Clan added a second part to their names. And deputies? Yeah, I asked that question before, and I realized that without deputies, there would be cats out hunting everywhere, and then there would be no cats back in our Clan to protect our territory!"

"Oh...I haven't thought about it that way," Echo meowed, realization dawning within her.

"You can ask me anytime!" Moonkit exclaimed cheerfully. With that, she bounded away. _I wonder where she gets her energy,_ Echo thought, a small smile beginning to creep up on her face.

A voice then whispered inside her head. _Moonkit is a great friend, Echo. And Clan life sounds great. You would have a shelter under your head, you would have powerful allies, and then together with IceClan you can stop the darkness._ "But what about my mother?" Echo questioned. "She said I was the only one who could stop it."

 _Well, she also told you to find the "breeze" and the "moon." And I think that this Clan has something to do with it._

"Argh, fine!" Echo whispered, defeated. "Just let me think about it."

 _Still,_ she thought, _Clan life is totally weird._

 _"Attack!"_

Echo groaned as she lazily lifted up her head. Finally, when she got an opportunity to have some sleep, a battle begins.

"Keep all kits in the nursery!" She heard Harestorm yowl. _That includes me,_ she thought sulkily.

"Ooh!" Moonkit squealed excitedly. "A battle! Let's join!"

"No, Moonkit," Skyflower mewed gently. "Young kits like you need to wait until you're apprentices to fight."

Moonkit sighed with disappointment, but said nothing. The roars of battle screamed into Echo's ears. _I thought this place was safe! No cat told me about battles!_

Even Breezekit, struggling to stay brave, cowered in fear from the pained yowls of battling cats. "I thought StarClan protected us from battles like these," he whispered fearfully.

Skyflower shook her head. "No, Breezekit. StarClan grants us fresh-kill and the land here for our Clans, but they have no power over battles. We have to sit and wait."

Moonkit trembled after hearing a pained screech of terror. Skyflower ushered the kits closer to her, but Echo stayed nearby her nest. "Now, how about I tell you all a story?" The queen asked. The kits around her nodded in unison. "This one is about The Trial of StarClan!" The silver-and-white she-cat exclaimed enthusiastically.

 _Now I see where Moonkit gets it from,_ Echo thought.

Scared, but still tired, Echo buried her face in the moss. Drowning out the pained yowls of battle and solely listening to Skyflower's gentle murmur, she happily fell asleep.

 _While she dreamed, for the first time forever, they were happy. Echo ran and chased Moonkit in the prairies, the warm sunlight shining on the clear lake nearby. A small breeze ruffled her coat, and she took in a deep breath of fresh air._

 _"You can't catch me!" Moonkit taunted playfully, and Echo darted after the silver she-cat._

 _Something made her stop. A white cat with green eyes stared at her. A strange mark was on her flank. Echo cautiously moved closer to her. "Who are you?" She asked, but when she looked again the cat was gone._

 _"Echo? Echo?"_

"...Echo?"

Echo opened her eyes. Skyflower was standing over her, trying to wake her up.

"Come on, sleepyhead!" Moonkit popped into her field of vision. "Let's have some fresh-kill!"

Hearing Moonkit's words made her mouth water and Echo realized how hungry she was. She shook her pelt and cheerfully followed the bouncing she-kit.

On her way out she thought she saw the same white cat with green eyes staring at her, but blamed it for being half-awake. Echo was formerly tense, but looking at the peaceful setting with the birds chirping calmed her. However the image of the white she-cat came back to her.

 _Who was that cat?_


	4. Leave or stay?

Echo sighed. These kinds of decisions were harder to make. In fact, _impossible_. _How can I leave Moonkit when she is such a good friend to me?_ She thought with despair. _And if I do stay-how will I ever finish the quest to the Cave of Shadows?_ Echo spotted a small pebble that was just out of her reach. Angrily, she approached it, and kicked it as hard as she could. She smelled something. It was a kit, but not Moonkit...

"Hey, Echo." A familiar voice came behind her. Breezekit's. "It's been a rough couple of days."

"Yeah." Silence. "I'm trying to decide if I'm going to stay with your Clan, or just depart alone."

"Well, in my opinion, I think you should stay. You're really nice and all..."

Echo turned to face him. "I _wish_ I could stay. But something tells me that I have to make this journey alone."

"Look, Echo...if you ever need some help, you can ask me. And if you want to hang out sometime, I'm completely happy with it. I, uh..."

"Breezekit, I like you as a _friend_. I hope we can hang out as friends, but this is a decision I have to make. But, if I don't stay, I hope I can see you again. You're really kind, and caring, and you're always there. I promise that you will be the first one I tell about my decision."

Breezekit looked solemn, but looked happy about what Echo told him. "Okay," he mewed. "Just tell me if you want to play a game of mossball." He walked away.

A sudden sense of realization dawned on Echo. _He loves me_. _And I like him too_...

The voice appeared in her head again. _You know he loves you, and cares about you. And I know you do, too_.

"But I need to finish the quest..."

 _But you have cats in this Clan that love you and want to help you,_ the voice continued. _You have Moonkit...and Breezekit, too. Finish this quest with them._

"No, I can't," she muttered. "I already told you that."

 _If you do this, you will regret it._

"I _know_ I will," Echo responded. "But this is something that isn't for love. It's for the fate of everyone."

 _You're going to regret this..._

"So you're leaving," Breezekit meowed. His face looked crestfallen.

"I'm sorry, Breezekit." Echo scraped the ground with exasperation. "But this is a quest that I have to do _alone_."

Breezekit cocked his head quizzically. "What if I could? And Moonkit, too?"

"What do you mean?" Echo asked, doubtful.

"I'm saying that when you leave, we sneak out of camp and then join you."

"What if you get caught?"

"No, we _definitely_ won't!" He laughed. "Remember that Moonkit is very good at stalking you? She can stalk anyone, and that is how she can get out of camp. I will just copy what she does."

"Okay, it's a plan!" Echo exclaimed with excitement. "I better tell Snowstar, though."

"See you later!" With that, Breezekit bounded away to where Moonkit was.

Echo walked to Snowstar's den. Her heart felt lighter and happier than it ever felt in _months_. Now, she could do both, and finish the quest to the Cave of Shadows.

"Excuse me, Snowstar?" Echo asked politely.

"Yes, Echo, come in."

Echo took a deep breath and started talking. "Thank you for rescuing me. If your patrol didn't find me, I would be dead."

"Yes, and I presume you're leaving?" The elegant she-cat questioned.

Echo was surprised. "How-"

She licked her paw casually. "It's...complicated, but in simpler terms, a gift from StarClan. And you're taking Breezekit and Moonkit with you, right?"

"Uh-"

"Don't worry, I won't try to stop you." Echo was shocked that Snowstar was so lenient on this situation. "It's destiny, Echo. I can see the future. The things that I could tell you...but the truth would shock you."

"Th-thank you, Snowstar," Echo stuttered. "Thank you for everything."

"Anytime," the pale white leader meowed. "By the way, Echo, Darkness is watching. I hope you will be safe."

Echo left Snowstar's den, shocked that she knew their plan. _Well, I guess we will prepare for tomorrow._ She looked up. _Tomorrow we would begin our journey to stop Darkness_.


	5. And the quest begins

The tawny waves of the sunrise were barely seen in the sky, as the thick silhouette of nighttime still remained. Everything was still, even the deputies, except for Echo, Moonkit and Breezekit. They quickly packed some traveling herbs (Snowstar hid some in their moss beds) and grabbed a squirrel and a couple of mice. Even Moonkit stayed quiet, but once they were outside the IceClan camp, she stopped and turned towards Echo.

"I can't wait! Hey Breezekit, how many times have we been outside of the camp before?"

Breezekit halted, obviously lost in thought. "Around one or two times, maybe?"

Moonkit looked like she was about to explode with enthusiasm. "So, Echo, where are we going? To the Moonstone-I have heard of it before. Or like to some weird eerie woods or a giant gorge?"

Echo shook her head. "No, we're going to somewhere called the Cave of Shadows."

"Can you describe it?"

"A cave...with shadows?"

Breezekit and Moonkit laughed. Echo joined in, and her heart felt light with happiness. _Maybe this journey won't be so bad after all,_ she thought.

Breezekit piped in. "How are we going to sleep? It's not like there are random shelters placed everywhere."

"Well, I was thinking that we just find a tree or a rock and then sleep underneath there, I guess. Nothing too fancy."

For a while, there was silence between the three best friends. Now, it was sunrise by the time Echo, Moonkit, and Breezekit were beyond the Clans' territories and reaching the gorge nearby the Moonstone. The sky was abundant with colors of amber, gold, and creamy white clouds stretched across the sky. By the time the trio reached the point where the Moonstone, they were ready to take a break. They all shared a half of one mouse, since they were careful to not eat their rations quickly.

Between bites, Breezekit started the talking. "So, I was wondering if we all could take a walk and, you know, have some fun before we keep on going?"

Moonkit and Echo wearily agreed, as they weren't too excited for many more hours of walking to continue. Echo decided to stay nearby the traveling herbs and the rest of their belongings. She looked up at the vibrant plains, with the wind blowing in her fur. It was quiet, and peaceful.

 _Wait,_ she thought with fear. _Too quiet..._

"Boo!" A voice shouted behind her.

Echo yowled loudly and ran as fast as she could. As she ran across the wet grasses, she realized as she kept on playing the terrifying moment in her head, she heard more and more of Breezekit's voice.

 _Breezekit!_ She gritted her teeth.

During the time Echo walked back, she kept on getting angrier and angrier at Breezekit for scaring her. Her fur started fluffing up. Finally, once she met where Breezekit was still standing there, smirking, she puffed out her fur as far as she could and hissed, "Why did you do that?! That was _not_ funny."

In between laughs, Breezekit shook his pelt and struggled to become calm again. He smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Echo. I was working on what Moonkit does. For stealth, you know?"

Though she kind of wanted to rip his tail off, Echo understood. "I just wish you could do it on your sister, Breezekit..."

"Oh, sorry! But just so you know, you're way better to play on because you're always _really_ quick to react. It's more fun that way."

For a few moments, there was silence between the two. "Echo, I-" Breezekit began.

"Hello!" Moonkit's bubbly voice mewed behind Echo. "Are we ready to go?" Then she stared at her and Breezekit. "Did I _interrupt_ anything?" She asked teasingly.

"Moonkit, st-stop!" Breezekit stammered, embarrassed.

Echo cut in. "We should be going now. If we continue at a steady rate, we might be halfway or nearly out of the forest by nightfall."

Moonkit eyed them suspiciously, but nodded in unison. "Okay," she meowed casually. "Let's go."

Throughout the time of the woods, nothing seemed friendly or welcoming except for Moonkit's constant chatter or her bouncing around. While she was distracted, Echo and Breezekit gave that time to discuss about the Dark Echo prophecy. As Moonkit started expressing her opinions on what could be improved in Clan life, Echo and Breezekit just continued ignoring her. Breezekit lazily kicked a small pebble nearby. To Echo, Moonkit's constant chatter is what makes the woods interesting.

When Moonkit started complaining about the lazy kittypets in Twolegplace and some trespassing rogues or loners, Breezekit turned to Echo. "Any ideas on our makeshift shelter tonight?"

"Well, since there is a lot of willow trees in this area, maybe we should sleep underneath there?"

"Okay. So, what's the plans for tomorrow?"

"Approximately, the trip to the Cave of Shadows is around a quarter moon...according to Flame, of course."

"By the way, who is Flame?" Breezekit cocked his head with confusion and interest.

"He's one of the two Peacemakers-Flame, along with Echo, the second Peacemaker, made the world we live in today."

"Well," the young tabby tom replied as Moonkit concluded her long-term discussion, "that cleared up my mind. _A lot_."

Echo laughed, and out of nowhere, Moonkit blurted, "You get it, right?"

 _Oh, no!_ Breezekit and Echo looked at each other, panicking. _We don't even know a thing that Moonkit said..._

"Yeah, I totally agree with you!" Echo meowed, half hoping she responded correctly.

There was a pause. Even Echo could hear the cool winds of nightfall rushing next to her.

Moonkit smiled. "Yay, finally someone gets it!"

Echo yawned, exhausted and relieved. "There is a willow tree over there. What about we sleep underneath it for tonight?"

Moonkit and Breezekit murmured in accord and fell asleep as soon as they lay down. Echo was tired too, but decided to sleep later. She lay down next to Breezekit and looked up at the vibrant stars. _Don't worry, Mother,_ she thought. _I will make you proud._


	6. Darkness and Apprenticeship

Echo opened her eyes to see Snowstar sitting patiently in front of her. At first, she was surprised to see IceClan's leader following her, Moonkit, and Breezekit, but when she noticed that the landscape was completely different, Echo relaxed. Still, she was confused on how Snowstar could walk in her dreams.

"Surprised, are you?" Snowstar's voiced echoed, as if they were in an enclosed area.

Echo nodded shyly. Snowstar walked to a lake and Echo oblingingly followed out of curiosity.

For some reason, sharp rocks started growing out of the dirt. Echo whimpered with pain as the rocks dug into her paw pads violently, and her blood began to spill on the ground. Snowstar looked back reassuringly. "Don't worry, you can wash your paws in the lake."

Echo forced herself to trudge on, even though it seemed like forever once they reached the pool. Snowstar sat down quietly, and everything became still, except for both of them. The IceClan leader sliced her left paw pad with one of her claws. Echo gasped in alarm, but Snowstar remained calm. She let her blood seep into the lake, with red clouds spreading throughout the clear water. Snowstar turned to Echo, her face gravely serious.

"You know about the Dark Echo prophecy, don't you, Echo?"

Echo nodded.

"And I thought my destiny was incomplete..." She sighed. "Echo, you are going down a very dangerous path. Right now, the chances of you actually _arriving_ at your designated place is almost completely impossible. But not impossible with training."

Echo was completely befuddled. "I don't get it. How can you train me, when you're all the way back in IceClan?"

The wise leader smiled. "Echo, haven't you realized anything strange? I have been following you three ever since the beginning."

"But what about your Clan?"

"Oh, don't worry. My deputy has been leading my Clan various times before. I travel a lot; so will you, if you complete this journey."

Echo looked at the shimmering water. "So, when are you going to start training us?"

"When you wake up. Your friends need a good start, too."

Echo began scratching the dirt with a claw. "Can you tell me about anything I should be ready for?"

Snowstar shook her head. "No, Echo. Knowing what happens in the future alters the course on what happens to your friends and other cats around you. I have to keep it to myself." Snowstar's tail gently rested on her shoulder. "But I have total confidence that you will complete the quest. The average young kit like you wouldn't have this many adventures, but you have a destiny. Just like me."

Echo saw a dark red-blood haze beginning to cover the horizon. "Go face the rest of your demons," the she-cat replied calmly. "You will wake up soon."

After she said that, Snowstar vanished.

Hisses of crackling flames began to rise, and the terrible screeches of cats dying filled the air. "Don't worry, you're just dreaming," Echo muttered to herself.

And that's when it got worse.

Breezekit and Moonkit appeared, but this time, they were grown up. They were fighting the Dark Warriors...

"No! Don't you dare take away my friends, Darkness!" She screamed.

An evil cackle echoed everywhere. "You underestimate my power, Echo. I will kill everyone that you have ever loved, like your mother and father."

"No, you won't! You will have to get through me first!"

Another cackle. "Don't be so sure. You, a puny kit, can banish a force such as strong as I? I control all that is evil, and every day, my power grows stronger from all of the chaos I create." The force came closer to Echo, pressing against her so hard that she couldn't breathe. "I will always be with you. No matter where you go."

"Don't...go away...I will beat you!"

"Your friends will die, Echo. That is what Snowstar couldn't tell you. I know what happens in the future, too. And so will you, when I finish you off."

"Nooooo!" She rasped. But it was too late.

She was dead...

Echo gasped, gulping in all of the air around her. After she realized she was fine, her muscles relaxed. _It was a dream,_ she thought. _Darkness didn't kill me._

She sat up, with the sun's gentle rays warming her. It would be a good today, with the mild weather. As she turned around, a white face with purple eyes suddenly popped out of nowhere. Echo flinched, but realized a few heartbeats later it was Snowstar. "You should wake up your friends," she teased gently. "They seem like they could sleep all day!"

Echo managed a smile and walked to Moonkit first. After a few pokes and prods, a couple of groans from the silver she-cat showed she was awake. "Whaaaaaat?" She began to groan, but when she saw Snowstar, Moonkit jumped into alertness. "Oh, hi Snowstar."

"Okay, Moonkit, can you wake up Breezekit?"

"Sure," she meowed. The young she-cat began to poke the tabby tom. "Lazy bum," she mumbled. Moonkit leaned close to Breezekit's ear. "Wake up! Snowstar's watching you."

At that second, Breezekit sat up obligingly. "Yes, Snowstar?" He asked uncertainly.

"You three are going to be trained so you can hunt and patrol," the white she-cat explained.

Moonkit bounced up and down with excitement. "Does that mean we're becoming _official_ apprentices?"

Snowstar looked at them thoughtfully. "Well, I am your leader, so I have no problem with it. Anyway, this quest is of great importance, so you are now official apprentices."

Moonkit squealed and bounced even higher. "Are we having our ceremony now?"

"Yes, but Echo needs to decide first." The IceClan leader turned to her. "So, would you like to be an IceClan apprentice?"

Echo froze. _Why did this time have to come now?_ She thought, frustrated. _I like my friends, but my mother...No, my mother is dead. There isn't any reason why I should say no. And Breezekit and Moonkit are really nice..._

She took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll become an apprentice."

Breezekit smiled merrily, as if he already knew that was her decision.

Snowstar cleared her throat. "Breezekit, Moonkit, Echo, it is time for you to be apprenticed to continue the path of your journey. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Breezepaw, Moonpaw, and Echopaw. I shall be your mentor for now, but after we return from the journey we will give you three proper mentors. I hope that I can pass all of my knowledge down all I know on to you." The she-cat grinned. "You are now official apprentices."

Echopaw couldn't believe it: she was an official IceClan apprentice! And she could tell that Breezepaw and Moonpaw were excited, too.

"You all have a great journey ahead of you," Snowstar meowed. "Let's make sure you're ready for it."


	7. Day One

"First, we will work on hunting. I will show you the hunting crouch." Snowstar instructed. She crouched low to the ground, as if ready to pounce, and carefully placed one paw in front of the other; surprisingly, Echopaw didn't hear any signs of movement. Snowstar kept her tail to her side and continued stealthily.

"How are we going to do _that_?" Moonpaw asked, quizzical.

Snowstar stood and sat into a normal position. "It's actually really simple: remember to keep your tail to your side so your prey doesn't suspect any movement, make sure you don't step on any twigs or leaves, and _focus_."

The three apprentices nodded solemnly.

"Okay," Snowstar meowed crisply. "Go into the hunting crouch position."

All of them went into the hunting crouch. Moonpaw was a little too bouncy, so she had some trouble getting into position. Breezepaw somehow couldn't get his paws or his tail in place. However, to Echopaw, it felt completely natural. Everything felt perfect, flawless.

"Moonpaw, stay still, dear." Snowstar chuckled. "Breezepaw, you need to keep your paws more inward a little more-yes, just like that. And Echopaw..." Snowstar's voice trailed off in shock. Her eyes widened with awe. "Echopaw, that's perfect. Great job!"

"Nice, Echopaw!" Breezekit complimented. Echopaw began to blush.

"Moonpaw, Breezepaw, I want you two to follow Echopaw's example. Make sure your paws are tucked in and your tail isn't sticking out. Yes, good job, Breezepaw," Snowstar meowed as Breezepaw attempted to copy Echopaw's position.

Snowstar turned to Moonpaw. "Moonpaw, do exactly what I said, and use Breezepaw's and Echopaw's example."

It took Moonpaw quite a few times to get it down, but after a while it looked decent. "That's good for now, Moonpaw." Snowstar turned to Echopaw and Breezepaw. "Okay, now we will practice with real prey. Echopaw, Breezepaw, I would like to see if you can catch some prey. Just remember to _not_ get in each other's way!" She laughed gently. "Moonpaw, while we wait, we can practice the hunting crouch again."

Echopaw and Breezepaw padded away from Snowstar and a distraught Moonpaw. "It shouldn't be that hard to catch prey, right?" She asked Breezepaw.

Breezepaw looked distant, and his eyes were clouded with something on his mind. The clouded loom in his eyes suddenly disappeared and he came back into the present. "Wait, what?"

Echopaw sighed. "I was saying if it's not that hard to catch prey."

"Oh yeah, with our expertise, we will catch prey in no time!" Breezepaw smiled. "Well, good luck," he meowed, and walked away to a denser area.

Echopaw frowned. _Something is definitely up with Breezepaw. But what?_

Okay, to hunting. Remembering Snowstar's instructions, she sniffed for any prey nearby. _Nothing here...wait! Something's moving!_

Echopaw got into the hunting crouch. Everything was perfect. No Breezepaw around, no distractions. Okay, almost got it...now!

She pounced, with her prey helplessly struggling to get away. Echopaw easily struck the killing blow, and the creature was dead. She glowed with pride. _I caught a vole!_ Echopaw thought merrily. Snowstar would be impressed. Satisfied, she took her prey back to where Snowstar and Moonpaw were.

"That's better, Moonpaw-Oh, you're back already? And you caught a piece of prey. I'm impressed, Echopaw." Snowstar smiled. "Yes, Moonpaw. Go and find a piece of prey to test your skills, okay?"

Moonpaw nodded and set off into a clump of bushes.

"And now we wait for Breezepaw..." Echopaw set down the vole in front of Snowstar. They waited together. And waited. And waited.

A while later, Echopaw asked, "What's taking them so long?" But Snowstar didn't answer her question; Echopaw could tell she was worried, too.

When it was sunset, Breezepaw returned with Moonpaw. Breezepaw carried a rabbit, while Moonpaw had a couple of mice. Both of them were talking merrily, as if they didn't even know that they were supposed to return long before.

"Breezepaw!" Echopaw demanded. "What took you and Moonpaw so _long?_ Snowstar and I were about to start a search party!"

The two cousins dropped their prey, half embarrassed. Breezepaw spoke up. "I couldn't find too much prey in my area, and so did Moonpaw. We had to travel farther to find something, around where this forest ends. We're really sorry," he added, with a sheepish glance to both Snowstar and Echopaw.

Snowstar's fur was still on end, but her reply was calm. "I am disappointed for you two coming so late, and we don't have any time for battle training. But, since you both caught prey, I'm letting you off the hook. Next time, though, you will get a punishment."

"Thank you, Snowstar," they replied in unison.

Snowstar began to relax. "Okay, we should eat to get our strength up for tomorrow. We're leaving at sunrise."

All three apprentices nodded.

After everyone made amends, they enjoyed a small feast, with no one worrying about eating all of their rations. They all talked and laughed, and Echopaw felt like the air buzzed with chatter and mirth. Snowstar had already fallen asleep, probably because her duties as leader were tiring. One conversation in particular stayed in Echopaw's head. It all started with Breezepaw:

"So, Echopaw," he mewed between bites, "do you know where we're going next after we get through the forest?"

Echopaw hesitated. She only had a very sketchy idea of _where_ the Cave of Shadows was located, but her first instinct of where they went next was _follow the river._

"There is a river that is beyond this forest," Echopaw recalled. "My mother told me that some cats called it the Echo River and only the cats that are involved in the prophecy can hear its echoes. I heard that it leads all the way to the Cave of Shadows."

"So, we only know the path _theoretically_ ," Moonpaw replied, skeptical. "How do we know it's the way?"

Echopaw hesitated again. "My mother used to be in something like a Clan, but she told me it's a tribe. They call it the Tribe of Infinite Knowledge. The source of the knowledge was from our elder Receiver, who could communicate with our ancestors and tell members about important prophecies. Our elder Receiver at the time my mother was there before she was exiled was named Feather, and she told the whole Tribe about the prophecy. Apparently it has been passed to all elder Receivers of our Tribe for generations."

"Do you know anything about your mother?" Breezepaw pressed. "Or your father?"

What Breezepaw asked made Echopaw feel really uncomfortable. "I don't know anything about my father. All I know is that I was told that my parents were dead."

Breezepaw and Moonpaw looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Echopaw," Moonpaw meowed. "I- _we_ -didn't know."

"Just...please don't bring it up too much, okay? It's sort of a touchy subject to talk about," Echopaw sniffed.

Moonpaw and Breezepaw looked at her with concern, but Echopaw quickly walked away to her moss bed and forced herself to sleep, ignoring the sympathetic stares from her friends.


	8. River of Echoes

For once, Echopaw's dreams weren't tormented with suffering or Darkness. It felt like a luxury, at last, with her, Moonpaw, and Breezepaw watching the peaceful sunset together. The stratus clouds made the sky golden, purple, red, and orange all at the same time, with a gentle breeze sweeping down on them, an infinite beauty that Echopaw would love to last forever.

However, more and more voices began echoing around her a familiar sentence. _The prophecy._ Louder and louder the voices rang in her head, until all she could think about was the prophecy. Something prodded her in her side. It was...what? Something, or _someone._

Echopaw blinked and her eyes adjusted to the blinding light. Breezepaw stared down at her, eyes bright. "Come on, Echopaw!" He exclaimed impatiently. "It's almost sunrise! We're _finally_ getting out of this forest!"

 _And I thought Moonpaw was overly hyper..._ Echopaw thought with amusement. She sprinted after her friend to catch up with Moonpaw and Snowstar, who were chatting about a Clan or something.

Dawn was barely breaking when Echopaw noticed that the seemingly endless expanse of trees were beginning to grow thinner, and in the pale background she saw hills and mountains. She groaned inwardly. _This journey will never end,_ Echopaw thought, slightly downcast. Something immediately came to her mind. _Breezepaw._

Echopaw padded to where Breezepaw was walking alone. Again, he had a distant look in his eyes. "Breezepaw?" She asked gently. "Hey, Breezepaw, are you okay?" An idea came in mind, and she poked him. "Hey, you stupid furball," she purred.

"Oh, hi Echopaw. Sorry," he meowed quickly.

A wave of concern washed over Echopaw. "Please tell me what's going on."

Breezepaw sighed. "I know you were going to notice eventually," he admitted. "Wait a minute, okay?" The brown tabby tom veered away from the main group, and Echopaw followed out of curiosity.

When they were far away enough from the group to not be heard, Breezepaw began talking. "To be honest, something has been troubling me lately. I have been, well..seeing and hearing things."

"Like what?" Echopaw inquired.

"Well, sometimes I hear voices of the same weird sentence over and over again, and I see cats dying, some casually talking, and some just telling me to go somewhere. Where we're going now. You probably see my eyes are clouded and stuff, and that's why. I am just so confused."

It sounded familiar to her, but Echopaw decided to be more specific. "What was the weird sentence about?"

"A prophecy, I think. It states 'To bring peace and harmony, find the echo and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo.'"

Echopaw gasped. _Breezepaw was the breeze! And I am the echo,_ she thought. So many answers flowed through her head now. "Breezepaw, that's it! _You're_ the breeze!"

"The _what_?" Breezepaw asked, quizzical.

"I received a prophecy similar to yours, and I knew I was a part of it. I'm the echo, and you're the breeze," Echopaw explained. "My prophecy was 'To bring peace and harmony, find the breeze and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo.' I think that different prophecies are being sent to the ones chosen!"

"So, all we need to find out who or what is the moon," Breezepaw mused. "Could it possibly be Moonpaw? If you are the echo, and I'm the breeze, then Moonpaw _must_ be the moon."

"Probably," Echopaw replied. "We'll ask her as soon as we reach the Echo River."

The two laughed and chatted about gossip, embarrassing secrets and moments, and occasionally a word or two about their families. Suddenly, the trees cleared at around sunhigh. _Freedom!_ Echopaw thought happily, and by judging how Breezepaw looked, he was ecstatic too.

Immediately echoes came from a river that was in the middle of the grassy fields. "Do you hear that?" Echopaw whispered. Breezepaw nodded in agreement. Snowstar and Moonpaw turned to them. "What now?" Moonpaw asked.

"We follow the echoing river," Echopaw meowed.

Moonpaw was slightly confused, but Snowstar nodded in agreement, her expression filled with understanding. "If Echopaw thinks that's the way, then I think we should go where she asks."

They began to travel beside the river, but Snowstar stopped abruptly. "I won't be able to go beyond this point for much longer. Tomorrow, I have to go back."

"Why?" Moonpaw's meow was miserable. "We need some help on the quest, and you are one of the best fighters of all of the Clans!"

Snowstar's expression was now unreadable. "I am not supposed to interfere with one's destiny. Seeing into the future is both a blessing-and a curse. My only purpose here was to train you three well enough so you all knew how to fight and hunt well enough so you could survive on your own. Your destinies lie here; mine lies back in IceClan."

Echopaw accepted the wise she-cat's judgement. "Well, I hope we can see you soon again. After the journey."

Snowstar purred. "As do I. Come on, we can't be out in the open forever. We at least need to be in a more enclosed area by nightfall."

Echopaw wondered if the odds were just turning against her, Breezepaw, and Moonpaw. _I'm not sure if we're going to survive this._

After trudging across grassy fields for hours, and then around some rocky terrain, Echopaw's delicate paw pads were filled with scratches and dirt. The pain lingered and got worse with every footstep, but Echopaw reminded herself of her friends, her family, the fate of the world...and continued on without complaint. Right now, it was beginning to become sundown; the shadows once again becoming longer, the area darker, and hillside and bumpy terrain were ahead. But that was for tomorrow. _Tomorrow, Snowstar won't be there to help us. We're on our own._

Echopaw decided to have a conversation with Moonpaw, in case if she actually _was_ symbolizing the moon. As she approached the bouncy she-cat, Echopaw realized that the silver accents in her fur were slightly glowing, even in the low light levels of the sunset. "Hey, Moonpaw!" she called cheerily. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Even Moonpaw seemed tired, and Echopaw could see that her eyelids were drooping slightly. "Yeah?"

"Well, I was just wondering, after these rough couple of days lately, have you been seeing or hearing things lately?"

Moonpaw's glance at Echopaw was filled with incertitude. "No. Why? Have you been hearing things?"

"Uh, no, but I was just wondering," Echopaw stated as she began to shy away from the seemingly spiritless apprentice.

"Wait, Echopaw! There is _something,_ but it isn't like seeing or hearing like that."

Echopaw came closer to Moonpaw again with interest and curiosity.

"I sometimes realize that my fur kind of glows in the dark, so it turns like a glowing silver or even white if I focus enough. And at other times I get a feeling that I can have the power to do _anything._ I know it's crazy, but it's true. And today, at the river, I heard something. A cat wailing, yet there was nobody there in the direction I heard it."

Echopaw was surprised. "Okay, well, thank you Moonpaw. For telling me."

Moonpaw gave Echopaw a sheepish grin. "You're my friend, Echopaw. A _great_ friend. Of course I had to tell you at one point." She walked away to where Snowstar was strolling, probably to talk some more.

 _Now I'm sure of it,_ Echopaw thought. _We all found our true destinies: me as the echo, Breezepaw as the breeze, and Moonpaw as the moon. And we will face this threat together. For peace._

Echopaw ran to where Breezepaw was and began telling him of her new discovery: Moonpaw was the moon.


	9. Day Two: Training Ends

Echopaw woke up with Breezepaw and Moonpaw looking around with confusion. The echoes and the seemingly perfect world were obviously the fundamentals of a dream. "Why are we all here?" Moonpaw whispered. "I thought we all had seperate dreams. _How?_ "

Echopaw saw Snowstar running from a direction to the three apprentices. "I can tell you are all confused on why you're hear and not in the waking world," she meowed softly.

All of them nodded in accord.

"I have placed you all in a dream because I have left for IceClan and halfway through the journey back, I realized that you haven't gotten any battle training. Needless to say, you all won't need too much training because you all have gifts. Special powers."

Echopaw, Breezepaw, and Moonpaw began talking to one another with excitement.

"We have _super powers_?!"

"Ooh! I hope mine is speed!"

"Why can't we use them?"

Snowstar held a paw up for silence. "The reason you don't have your powers is because you need to clear away whatever is blocking you. However, I can train you three so then this part of unearthing your abilities are easier, and you don't have to take this challenge." She looked at both Echopaw and Breezepaw in particular.

 _Oh, no! What have we done wrong?_ Echopaw thought in alarm.

"First, I will tell each of you what abilities and powers you have," Snowstar instructed. "Breezepaw, I will start with you first."

Breezepaw came closer to the white she-cat, eager and excited.

"You have the power to run as fast as the four winds, able to dodge anything that comes your way."

Snowstar gestured to Moonpaw.

"Moonpaw, you have two, actually: your pelt can glow, and you have the power to control the night and whatever happens during that time."

"And Echopaw," Snowstar meowed briskly, "you have multiple, and you have the most important powers of all. Make sure that you use them wisely."

Echopaw waited patiently for her unknown powers to be revealed, unlike Breezepaw's and Moonpaw's eagerness.

"You have something _unique._ Echopaw, you have skills to defeat any opponent in battle, you can hear things from even miles away, and _see_ things that no one else could see besides the Peacemakers. As a descendant of the original Echo, you have inherited all of her abilities when you were born."

Moonpaw and Breezepaw gasped in awe.

"And I will give you a gift of my own, Echopaw," Snowstar added. "I am giving you a portion of my ability to see into the future. I trust that you will use this wisely."

"Now that you know your abilities, and I have enabled them, let's see how you use them." She turned to Echopaw first. "Echopaw, fight me."

Remembering some tactics that her mother showed her, Echopaw pretended to look bored. Then, suddenly, she lunged at Snowstar, attacking as hard as she could. However, Snowstar already expected the move to come and whipped to one side swiftly, with Echopaw hitting the ground hard. With her breath knocked out of her, she gave up. "Okay," Snowstar mewed. "Moonpaw," she instructed as she turned the time to day, "turn the time from day to night."

Moonpaw closed her eyes carefully and focused in deep concentration. Echopaw and Breezepaw turned to the direction the sun was at. At first it was still, but a few heartbeats later, it started _moving._ Surprised, Echopaw turned to Moonpaw in awe, but something weird was happening. A silver swirl that looked like smoke surrounded her. She rushed to her friend's aid, but Snowstar stopped her. "Don't disturb her concentration," she ordered.

It was beginning to become sunset, but Echopaw could see the strain on Moonpaw's face. The silver she-cat concentrated for a few more seconds, but let go and it went back to about noon. "Okay, now it's your turn, Breezepaw," she stated. "Now, I want to..."

Echopaw ran to where Moonpaw lay on the grass. As she came closer, Moonpaw's crestfallen expression showed that she was disappointed and embarrassed. "It's okay, Moonpaw," she meowed gently. "I didn't even _touch_ Snowstar, and I bet that Breezepaw will fail too."

"I know," she sighed, and pulled herself up. "I am just sort of mad that I couldn't get it right." As Moonpaw began to say it, she began to become angrier and angrier. "I can't do _anything_ right!" she cried. "I can't even hunt properly!"

Echopaw realized that the silver swirls surrounded her once again, and Moonpaw seethed as she continued, "I...just...want...to..." She stopped. The sky became darker and darker, and night was approaching. _Fast._

Her pelt began to glow. First her silver accents, and then it became white. The blindingly bright light made it hard for Echopaw to see, but somehow she could see the outline of the silver she-cat. Now by that time Snowstar and Breezepaw stopped what they were doing, and came to watch Moonpaw. The light became brighter and brighter, until...

 _Boom. Crackle._ Light exploded everywhere, and for a few seconds, everything blacked out. As Echopaw recovered from the explosion, she saw Moonpaw lying on the ground, her pelt glowing white. The time was midnight.

Snowstar approached Moonpaw slowly. "Great job, Moonpaw," she congratulated. You got it right!"

Moonpaw raised her head weakly. "I-I did?"

"Yeah, of course you did," Breezepaw mewed. "It's midnight."

Moonpaw looked rather pleased of herself, and her sapphire eyes glowed brightly, too.

Snowstar's gaze faced Moonpaw's with approval. "To truly unlock your power, Moonpaw, you had to feel anger. I knew by making you frustrated, you would be able to change the day to night."

"Now, Breezepaw," Snowstar continued, "Since Moonpaw was able to activate her gift, let's see if you can. Run to that tree across those seven hills, in the distance."

Breezepaw's eyes widened with confusion, but obeyed. He sat down and focused intently. A seemingly strong breeze began to develop, and with a flash he was gone. In the distance, Echopaw saw a brown shape yowling. It was Breezepaw. "Yes! I got it!" Echopaw heard the tabby tom cheer.

Snowstar had an amused expression on her face. _She's up to something..._

"Breezepaw!" She yowled back. "Come here!"

Another strong breeze developed, and with a flash he was back. But something changed. His pelt was caked with mud and other sorts of filth, and his paws and face drenched. "Wh-why did I change?" he meowed innocently.

Echopaw, Moonpaw, and Snowstar laughed. It was really funny that Breezepaw seemed so sure of himself before, and was humiliated by his own power.

"Echopaw," Snowstar mewed. "Your power will come to you during your final battle. However, you still have heightened senses."

"So...when will our powers come to us?" Breezepaw asked.

"I just wanted to test them out, see if they worked," Snowstar explained. "Before you return to IceClan, you both will have complete control over your powers and inherited them."

"Now," she meowed crisply, "I will teach you three some battle moves: the front paw blow, belly rake, leap-and-hold, play dead, and the duck and twist. First, we will work on the leap-and-hold."

As they began practicing with Snowstar for the last time, Echopaw thought she heard something. But perhaps it was just only an echo.


	10. Family reunion?

It had been three days since their last training session with Snowstar, and Echopaw, Moonpaw, and Breezepaw all felt lost without the wise cat to tell them what to do or _anything_. On the first day, they began a petty argument on who was the better leader, and wasted the whole day doing races, tests, and cheating on hopes of winning. The second day wasn't too better. Moonpaw ate a rabbit that was actually poisoned and fell ill, and Echopaw and Breezepaw began arguing about which herb would help her the most. It was sunset by the time they actually agreed on one, and Moonpaw recovered. _It feels like we're going in circles,_ Echopaw thought despairingly. And it was true. In the morning, the three passed by a ridge and a few hours later saw the same ridge again.

They were all hot, tired, and thirsty, as they were in a dry part of the river where the water was too murky for drinking. It seemed like forever until the water looked slightly cleaner and they all gratefully got a drink.

Finally, Moonpaw started a conversation. "So, Echopaw, did you have any siblings?"

Echopaw only needed a second to answer that question. "No. I was the only kit."

There was another pause. Then Breezepaw began to talk. "Hey, maybe I can get us there. After all, my power is speed."

"And get dirty like you?" Moonpaw asked. "No thanks!"

"Well, it's better than just wasting our time in this desolate area," Echopaw pointed out.

Moonpaw groaned with exasperation. "Fine," she muttered, but looked doubtful. "How are you going to bring us with you, Breezepaw?"

"Simple. You grab my tail," he replied.

Moonpaw rolled her eyes, but grabbed the tabby tom's tail. Echopaw did the same, but felt unsure about the idea. _What if one of us falls off? Then we will_ never _get there!_

"This is the world's stupidest plan, but it's the only choice we got other than die," Moonpaw whispered.

Echopaw felt a breeze come. She held on tight, but abruptly realized something. _This will put too much weight on his back legs!_ Echopaw thought with alarm. _Wait!_ She quickly ran forward and hugged him.

"Wait, what-" Breezepaw began, but it was too late. He ran faster than even StarClan cats could run, and Echopaw already felt herself slipping. It felt distant, but Echopaw heard Moonpaw yowling with fear. "Oh, StarClan, why?"

Echopaw felt like she was about to fall off, but Breezepaw halted. The force sent Moonpaw catapulting in mid-air and tumbling, but since Echopaw had a more secure grip, the only thing that shaken her was the fear of falling. Filled with alarm, she began sprinting to Moonpaw to cushion her landing. But she was too late...

"Oof!" Moonpaw exclaimed. A pause. "Don't worry, I'm okay!"

Echopaw sighed with relief, and Breezepaw's paranoia quickly vanished to relief. "Breezepaw, promise me we'll never do this again."

"Promise," he responded with a cheesy smile. Echopaw realized he began to lean closer to her. She was confused, but allowed the tom to continue. Breezepaw hugged her back in return. Happiness became pure joy, and Echopaw allowed the warm feeling to last.

"Hello? Anyone there?" Moonpaw cut in. "Come on, you two, let's _move_!"

Echopaw and Breezepaw exchanged embarrassed glances before following the bubbly she-cat. _Had she really seen that?_ Echopaw thought, but pushed that off her mind. _Remember the quest._

A while later, the terrain became rockier again, but the land was still fertile and teemed with prey. For some reason, Echopaw felt like the terrain was familiar, even though the memory seemed so distant. Wondering if Breezepaw knew it, as they were linked to the same prophecy, she approached him again. "Does this place look familiar?" she asked the tabby tom.

"Well...no, not really. But it does seem a lot like the IceClan camp."

There was a long pause. "So..." Breezepaw began. "We should, uh, just forget what happened earlier, right?"

"Yeah," Echopaw meowed. "I just hope Moonpaw doesn't start teasing us about it."

The conversation felt really awkward, and a few minutes later they separated. _I guess I'll just talk to Moonpaw,_ Echopaw thought.

When Echopaw finally caught up to the silver she-cat, she realized that Moonpaw was unusually quiet. "Moonpaw? Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just...wondering what will happen after this journey." Silence. "Everything has changed for us. We just realized a few days ago that we have special powers, we're part of a prophecy, and we are the representatives of all good and the world's only hope. I guess you can relate. To be honest, I'm not sure that we _can_ defeat this Darkness thing, whatever it is. If it makes up everything evil in this world, it must be downright impossible to stop it."

Echopaw felt like she had nothing to say about it. "Moonpaw, are you sure you're okay? You're not normally this...downcast."

"I said I'm fine," Moonpaw retorted. When she saw Echopaw flinch at her attitude, she apologized. "I need some time alone, okay? Some time to reflect on all of this."

"Okay," Echopaw mewed quietly, and walked away.

As it became a little darker, Moonpaw's fur became brighter and Echopaw's confusion continued growing. _Why does this place look so familiar? Why is Moonpaw acting so weird? Why was I even chosen for this journey in the first place?_

Because of her confusion clouding both her heightened senses and judgement, Echopaw didn't realized that she was being watched. Far off in the trees, an object loomed, sneaking nearby. It came closer and closer...so close...until it touched her.

Echopaw yowled in alarm, realizing that an enemy cat snuck up on them. Remembering the skills Snowstar taught her, she scratched the enemy and pinned him down. "What are you doing here?" she snarled.

"I-I..." The cat began. For some reason, the impostor smelled familiar. "I am here to help you, Echo! Don't you know? I am your brother!"


	11. The Tribe of Infinite Knowledge

Echopaw's eyes narrowed. "I have no siblings, and you are just a random cat."

At the corner of her eye, she saw Breezepaw and Moonpaw looking in befuddlement. But the two cousins were too confused to assist, or do anything.

"B-but I'm serious, Echo!" The cat stammered. "Didn't Mother tell you about me?"

Echopaw looked away with confusion, turmoil, and sadness.

"She didn't, did she?" The tom's expression was downcast and crestfallen. He was about to slide out of Echopaw's pounce, but she tightened her grip.

"I'm not letting go, not until you can _prove_ that you are related!" She growled, but thought intently. _What was Mother's name again?_ "Okay. To prove you're being serious, what was Mother's name?"

"L-leaf. Leaf that Falls from Trees," the gray tom meowed nervously.

Realizing that he was correct, Echopaw released her grip on the tom. "I believe you. What's your name?"

Now that she had released him, the tom replied with no stammering or an unsteady tone is his voice. "I'm Bracken."

"Wait, you have a _brother_?" Breezepaw inquired.

"As of now, yes," Echopaw muttered.

"Yay!" Moonpaw meowed cheerily. "Now we're not as alone anymore, and we have someone who knows this part of the territory."

"She's crazy, but right," Breezepaw pointed out. "Maybe there _is_ some sense in that cat."

Echopaw smiled with amusement. "So, are you going to come with us?" She asked her brother.

Bracken shuffled his paws uneasily. "Well, that's the problem. The Tribe doesn't want anyone to leave, after our mother was exiled. Echo, if you can convince our leader to have me come with you, then I can help you with your journey!"

Echopaw sighed. "So, where is the camp?"

"Wait," Breezepaw meowed skeptically. "Echopaw, are you sure that you trust this cat? I mean, I know he knows your mother, but doesn't everyone know your mother's full name?"

"The rules in our Tribe are different than Clans. Only family knows a cat's full name," the silver-and-white tom replied. "And now you know..."

"Come on," Bracken invited. "Let's go to the camp."

Luckily, the Tribe wasn't as far as Echopaw recalled, and they easily came to a lush background with a waterfall cascading nearby. The sun gently touched the lush grass that grew at the bottom of the cliff that they were climbing, since the Tribe of Infinite Knowledge lived in a cave embedded into rock. The climb looked treacherous and rough, but Bracken assured that it wasn't that hard despite its looks.

After only a moment of climbing, Moonpaw complained, "This is taking _forever!_ Isn't there an easier way?"

Bracken chuckled. "Sorry, this is the only path up to the Cave. Don't worry, we can help you if you have any injuries."

Moonpaw reluctantly continued climbing. To Echopaw, it seemed effortless, but Breezepaw had some trouble making sure he didn't step on any sharp stones poking out.

When the four cats finally reached the Tribe's territory, it looked really familiar. The mossy overhangs, the familiar scents...everything! "Is this really where our camp is?" Echopaw whispered in awe.

"Yeah, it's a nice place, isn't it?" Bracken grinned. "Come on, I'll tell Sky that you're here."

 _Sky?_ Echo thought. _Things must have really changed...wasn't it Boulder who was leading the Tribe?_

As they were walking inside the complex camp, filled with many groups of tunnels and entries, Moonpaw came closer to her. "Echopaw, are you sure that cat's your brother? I mean, you told us you didn't have any other siblings and this random cat comes up and claims he's your brother..."

"I know he's my brother," Echopaw replied firmly. "My mother and father are dead, and even though I didn't know, who else could he be? Only close family members know another's name."

Breezepaw chimed in. "I guess you're right," the tabby tom meowed. "He's a nice guy, and I can't think of him as a bad cat or anything."

The trio nodded in agreement. By the time they finished talking, they were in a smaller cave that Echopaw realized was the leader's den. A small crack of sunlight shown through the dimly lit place, and small grasses filled with mountain dew covered the ground in a seemingly harmonious fashion. The new leader known as Sky was in the center, with gentle white and grey patches shining on his steel blue pelt. He looked up with narrow, cold eyes. "So, it's true then. The daughter of the outcast comes back in aid of _my_ assistance."

Echopaw gulped. _This isn't going to be easy,_ she thought unhappily.

Moonpaw stepped forward cheerily with a waving gesture. "Hi, I'm Moonpaw-" she began, but stopped and shied back to her place as the cave-guards hissed threateningly, with Sky displaying a greater look of disgust and anger.

 _Of course!_ Echopaw realized abruptly. _Moonpaw did an offensive gesture-mocking the Tribe's leader..._

Echopaw bowed and stepped forward respectfully, showing that she wasn't a threat and that she revered the leader's position of rank. Sky nodded approvingly, his repulsive expression relaxing. "I don't want to rejoin the Tribe, after what my mother and father did against you," she mewed quietly. "My friends and I need some help on where the Cave of Shadows are."

Bracken, the cave-guards, and the rest of the Tribe that was at the meeting gasped. The journey there was almost an endless expanse, and lucky survivors would die once they set foot without authorization from the leaders.

Sky's expression was shocked. "You're really asking us for directions to _that_ disgrace?" He snapped. "Going there is a suicide mission, even if you lasted long enough to get here from wherever you came from. Thousands of the toughest cats in the world tried...and never came back. You three, just meager kits, think you can reach there?! Insane!"

Arguments and clamor began to rise from the other cats from the Tribe. Suddenly, a familiar, old, shallow voice came from the back, temporarily breaking the tension.

"Wait! What if she is the Chosen One?"

Echopaw, Breezepaw, Moonpaw, and the rest of the Tribe turned to an elderly cat who Echopaw only recognized from the Tribe.

 _The Elder Receiver...River!_

"Remember the prophecy, Sky?" The old tom inquired. "I knew from the beginning that she was the One, and none of you believed me!"

Sky rolled his eyes. "River, that was a prophecy that was passed on for generations. You of all cats think that this _kit_ is the One?"

"Our ancestors know it; I have spoke to them for guidance," River pointed out. "I see it in her eyes. Destiny has shown that the echo must save us all."

"I trust your judgement, River, but are you really sure the daughter of an outcast is actually the One to save us?" Sky questioned.

"I trust destiny," River meowed firmly. "And destiny is shining through this young cat."

Sky gave a long, exasperated sigh. "Fine," he muttered. "We will help you to the Cave of Shadows."

Sky was about to call the meeting to an end, but Echopaw added, "Wait, can you give us an escort?"

The cats stopped warily. Sky looked annoyed and upset that she was asking this of him, but nodded with reluctance. "Pick one of these members of the Tribe that are here," the leader mewed. "All of them here are capable of coming with you."

Echopaw instantly nodded to Bracken, and the young light brown tom stepped forward.

"Our heroes have been chosen," Sky announced.

"Our heroes have been chosen! Our heroes have been chosen!" All of the cats at the meeting cheered.

Echopaw looked at all of the bright, hopeful faces of the Tribe as she enjoyed the brief moment of mirth. She then looked at Bracken and grinned at him with trust. Her brother returned the gesture, a smile playing on his mouth. _With the help of StarClan, we will face this threat._


	12. Dark Futures

After the meeting was called off, River invited the four heroes to come to his den. They accepted the request with enthusiasm, interested in what he would say.

River's den was much different from when Echopaw last saw it. The usually neat moss was scattered, with pebbles everywhere and in a strange fashion. _What caused River to make his den so messy? He's usually an organized cat..._

"Sorry for the mess," River apologized. "After the prophecy and you mother leaving, Echo, I was trying to piece together what it could mean. But I know.

"Now, Echo," he continued, "there are some friends you didn't introduce yet."

"Oh!" Echopaw realized. "The tabby brown tom is Breezepaw, and the silver she-cat is Moonpaw."

River nodded approvingly. "So, I guess Breezepaw is the breeze and Moonpaw is the moon, yes?"

Echopaw nodded in agreement.

"With you three, I can examine and make sure that you are truly the ones chosen for this mission. Echo, stand right there," he gestured, pointing to the furthest part in his den, "yes, that's it. Breezepaw, stand to Echo's left-yes, like that. And Moonpaw...good job. Now stay there."

The burgundy tom then arranged the loose pebbles into a round circle that surrounded Echopaw, Breezepaw, and Moonpaw, and skillfully arranged the remaining stones into diverse patterns that looked really familiar. It looked so familiar, like something that she had seen before...but she couldn't remember where she saw it.

"In order for this to work, I will whisper some ancient chants that will start the ritual," River explained. "If you three are the Chosen, then you will each have a vision."

"Yes! I'm so excited!" Moonpaw cheered.

"Amazing!" Breezepaw remarked. "Wait, so how are we going to do this again?"

River laughed, which was something Echopaw had never heard for a long time. For once, he actually seemed happy. _Now I know why Moonpaw is so cheery..._

"Anyway," the old tom continued, "stay still, and calm yourselves. If you three expect to see each other during this, you won't. There will just be visions of the future, and some other familiar flashbacks, too. I wish you three the best of luck."

The young apprentices nodded solemnly.

"Now, let us begin." River began whispering chants of an ancient language of the Tribe, one that hasn't been used for centuries. The chants grew louder and louder, while Echopaw began to feel really tired. She fell asleep.

 _Echopaw opened her eyes. She was-falling? Or was she floating? The empty, black expanse were filled with numerous strong winds. Before she could get a grasp on what it could mean, her vision turned white._

 _Several images appeared. The Cave of Shadows, spirits, eerie skies tinted with evil, and many, many obstacles that looked into the future. A chill went down Echopaw's spine. Her mother was there, looking on her with love...but something was different. A symbol, on her flank. It was just like the symbol that River..._

 _The image quickly changed again. Unfamiliar places appeared: rocks, streams, deserts, and unknown forests far beyond any territory known to any cat. Suddenly, there was a small white cat that stared at her with questionable green eyes. Chilling images then appeared, ripping out any sanity from Echopaw's soul._

 _Darkness...and Breezepaw and Moonpaw, struggling to fight against him. It was too much for them. The evil spirit then absorbed the life within them. Continuous repulsive images then flooded through her vision. Blood, all that was there was blood._

 _A tiny, vulnerable tortoiseshell kit was yowling in pain as she was maimed in fire. Echopaw tried to move to help but her paws were glued to the uncomfortable rock. She saw the kit rasp weakly, "Help me," and then her crispy body was engulfed by lava._

What is happening? Get me out of here!

 _But the horrific visions continued._

 _Another image, of countless skeletons of cats littered the vast expanse of sand. A cat was struggling to stay alive, dying under the torturous sunlight. He took one last breath, and then sighed as the light in his eyes died._

There was no one to help him, _Echopaw thought, terrified._ It was Darkness! He killed all of these innocent cats, even a helpless kit!

 _Rage flowed through her. She was about to lash out at the evil pair of eyes embedded into the sky, but was stopped. Something else. Echopaw inched closer to an unfamiliar green rock, and suddenly broke it in rage. Three words: Harmony Stone. Broken._

 _After that, Darkness swarmed over her defenseless body and mauled her with unimaginable power._

"No!" Echopaw gasped, then realized that she was safe in River's den. _The future is so dark, so evil..._

Three heartbeats later, Breezepaw yowled awake with fear, and shuddered as if someone took over him and it was the end of the world; like if he was about to die. Echopaw came closer to the frightened tom and gently comforted him. She realized that Moonpaw still hadn't awakened yet.

Echopaw crept toward the seemingly limp body of the silver she-cat, and tested to see if she was awake. She flinched away with shock. _Moonpaw-she's so...cold._

Frightened for her friend, Echopaw tried to wake the unconscious apprentice with shaking. "Wake up, Moonpaw," she begged. "Please wake up."

Breezepaw walked to his cousin's limp body and bowed his head.

Echopaw then heard something. Moonpaw began steadily breathing, and she sighed with relief. A few heartbeats passed and then the silver apprentice woke up into consciousness.

"What _was_ that?" The she-cat whispered feebly. "It was s-so cold."

River padded to the three shocked apprentices. "It means that you are Chosen. What you all saw was visions of your futures."

The trio looked at the old sage with confusion.

"I know it won't make sense to all of you, but this will all make sense in the future. Remember, there is always good in spite of evil."

Echopaw, Moonpaw, and Breezepaw all nodded despite their doubt.

As they were about to leave the den to get some sleep, River stopped them. "Wait, I just wanted to say...thank you. I know this is all a difficult task for you three, and I thank you for doing this. Good luck and safe travels to you all."

"Thanks, River. I hope I can see you soon," Echopaw mewed respectively.

The young she-cat quickly went to sleep with her friends beside her.


	13. What Is Love?

"Echopaw, there's something I want to tell you," Breezepaw meowed.

Echopaw followed the young tom obligingly. Whatever was on her friend's mind, he would tell her.

The young cats walked side by side into the forest. Nightfall was coming quickly, and crickets chirped in the distance. Echopaw could feel the soft dirt and the wet grass recently showered by rain underneath her. Smells of nature flooded the environment, adding a calm scene in the darkening abyss.

She began to wonder when Breezepaw would stop, as they were going really deep into the forest. _I hope Moonpaw doesn't get suspicious again._

Breezepaw finally halted underneath a cherry tree. Blossoms were scattered everywhere around the tree's entangled roots. She sat parallel beside him, watching the moon rise in front of them.

The brown tabby tom's voice pierced through the silence. "So, Echopaw," he mewed awkwardly. "I need to talk to you."

"Yeah, you said that," she snarked in reply. "So what's up?"

"Uh, well...how to explain this? Ever since we met, there was always something different about you. But in a good way, of course," he insisted quickly, not wanting to hurt her feelings. "And now that we're on this quest to save the world...I'm worried about you, Echo-um, I mean Echopaw..."

"Oh, it's fine," Echopaw meowed. "I'd like it better if you just called me Echo."

"O-okay," he stuttered nervously. _It's obviously getting awkweard to him._ "The truth is, Echo, I really like you, and I'm worried for you. And I was hoping we could be more than friends..." His voice trailed off.

"Sure, we can be best friends if you want." Echopaw gently licked his shoulder.

"Well, more than that."

She sighed. "I knew you meant that the first time, Breezepaw, but we're kind of in a worldwide conflict here." The young tom's expression became crestfallen. She added hastily, "That doesn't mean I don't _want_ to. Breezepaw, I like you, I really do, but when the fate of the universe is in our paws, a serious relationship isn't the best time. Maybe afterwards, I guess."

The tom began to reply, but Echopaw interrupted. "And don't get any ideas. Moonpaw's watching us like a hawk, and my brother's here, too!" She laughed.

Their laughter quickly quieted down, and for a few minutes both cats watched the stars and the glowing moon shining down upon them.

Breezepaw huffed. "Okay, I get that we can't start anything serious now, but can I just say one thing?"

"Yeah, sure."

Breezepaw came closer to her. "I love you, Echo."

She let those words sink in for a while. Breezepaw eventually fell asleep beside her, but Echopaw returned the phrase.

"I love you too, Breezy."

(Breezepaw's POV)

Breezepaw pretended to sleep, making his rising and falling of breaths soft and even. But then Echo spoke to him.

"I love you too, Breezy."

She really did love him! He was elated. _Finally, at least one success,_ the tom thought ruefully. _And she gave me a cute nickname, too!_

As he started falling asleep, he remembered about Maplekit, a young she-cat from LightningClan he had been crushing on before Echo came.

 _The Gathering didn't start yet, but Breezekit was extremely excited. Kits weren't normally allowed to attend Gatherings, but for some reason he was allowed to this time. He sat beside a young kit from LightningClan, a young she-cat he really liked._

 _"Hey, Maplekit," Breezekit meowed flirtatiously. "You look nice today."_

 _The two kits knew each other because their mothers were second cousins._ But my parents are gone, _he reminded himself sadly._ Even though my other cousin is a mouse-brain, at least I have some family left.

 _Maplekit ignored him, turning away with disgust. Breezekit tried again. "Ever wondered why we were allowed to go to the Gathering?"_

 _Maplekit finally turned to him, but displayed a look of hatred. "Leave me be, mouse dung!" She spat, and walked away, her entourage beside her._

 _The young tom sighed miserably. When would he ever find true love? He remembered the statement "love at first sight," but was that really true? Breezekit had already hit on three other she-cats, and even practicing with Moonkit, but nothing worked. Maybe true love was impossible. Or it could be some random she-cat from who knows where._

 _Breezekit's thoughts were interrupted by the loud yowl of the leaders to start the Gathering, and the memory slowly slipped away._

Breezepaw woke up to realize that it was still nighttime, and Echo was beside him, her eyes closed and breathing softly. He squinted at the moon. It was at the opposite direction now, indicating that dawn would begin soon.

He looked at his mate-wait, that wasn't correct. _Best friend,_ he reminded himself. The pretty she-cat's sleeping form relaxed him a little. As much as Breezepaw didn't want to wake her up, they had return before Moonpaw and Bracken began a search party. He gently began to prod her shoulder. Echo only made a small mew in reply. _Well, she's obviously a heavy sleeper._ Breezepaw looked at her thoughtfully. _What would make Echo the most uncomfortable?_

The thought sparked an idea in his head. Smirking, he lay down on top of her and whispered, _"Wake up."_

She began to stir. "Breezy, what are you-" Echo realized what he was doing. "Ew, Breezy, get off!" She yowled, and pushed him off of her.

Breezepaw laughed. "Well, I _had_ to wake you up. It's almost dawn."

Understanding began to shine in her deep purple eyes. "Oh, I get what you mean. But please don't do that unless we're in a _serious_ relationship!"

"Fine," he mewed, still smirking.

They began to depart from the cherry tree and strolled back to their temporary camp, cheerfully (and casually) talking about their future. Despite that Breezepaw wanted to talk to her more about their "relationship," Echo continued to dodge his burning questions.

When they came back to the camp dawn was breaking, and Breezepaw saw Moonpaw and Bracken chatting urgently. When the other two cats looked up, they rushed to them.

"Where have you guys been?" Bracken demanded. "We were about to begin a search party!"

"I told you," Breezepaw whispered to Echo, and she giggled.

But Moonpaw's and Bracken's expressions were serious. Breezepaw realized they were _not_ joking around, and for once Moonpaw's bubbly attitude faltered.

"Well, we were patrolling and...stuff," Breezepaw lied.

But Moonpaw knew he was a terrible liar. And Bracken could tell.

"Don't tell me you lovebirds were hanging out the whole night," Moonpaw grumbled. "We barely got any sleep because of you!"

"You've got to be kidding me! Me and _Breezepaw?"_ Echo scoffed. Breezepaw was slightly offended at first, but realized what the clever she-cat was getting at. "Even if Breezepaw _tried_ to flirt with me, I would turn him down."

Bracken believed her, but Moonpaw's eyes were still narrowed with doubt. "Let's just get out of here," she muttered angrily, walking away with her tail high. Bracken followed a minute later.

Breezepaw and Echopaw glanced at each other nervously. _Having a secret relationship is going to be difficult. Even more difficult with Moonpaw on our tails._

He began to follow Moonpaw and Bracken, but Echo stopped him. Her eyes told it all. "Breezy, there's something up with Moonpaw. And we need to find out what it is."

The pair touched noses briefly, with hope and regret. As they shared the close moment, Breezepaw could've sworn that he saw a small white she-cat with green eyes staring at them intensely. Whispers surrounded him and Echo, whispers of doubt, uncertainty, forbidden love, and especially the prophecy. What was ahead for them would determine one thing:

 _Nothing would ever be the same again._


	14. The Threat Nears

Moonpaw sneered as she watched the two lovebirds from a distance. _If Echopaw and Breezepaw actually fall in love, maybe the trap would be easier..._

But she could tell that Echopaw was beginning to realize a portion of Operation Break, and she had to regain their trust fast. At least Bracken trusted her. The silver tom was highly loyal; maybe worthy enough to join the Black Sun. She could even admit she had a small liking to Echo's scrappy brother, since his qualities were admirable.

She and Bracken stopped nearby a tree to wait for Echopaw and Breezepaw. After a brief period of silence and an awkward shuffle of her paws, she spoke. "How do you feel about Echopaw and Breezepaw? You know, like, a thing?"

"Oh, I..." Bracken twitched his tail uncomfortably at the subject. "Moonpaw, I don't think that the two of them are a _thing,_ because Echo told me this a few days ago. She likes Breezepaw, but she told me that she's not ready for a serious relationship just yet. I'm just going to support her for who she is."

Moonpaw groaned inwardly. _Bracken must know! He's Echopaw's brother!_ But before she could interrogate the silver tom anymore, Echopaw and Breezepaw finally caught up. "Let's go," Echo meowed. "Evil never sleeps, and neither should we."

She gritted her teeth in annoyance. _Echopaw's smart...maybe too smart._ Looking up she saw one of her master's spies hiding in the bushes, waiting for a signal from her. With a few lashes of her tail she told the spy, _Echo's onto me. Trap us and begin Operation MX._

The spy then gave a signal that meant he acknowledged her orders and would round up their forces. Moonpaw smiled inwardly. _It feels good to be bad,_ she thought.

Now to do her part.

Echopaw and Breezepaw were in the lead, casually chatting, but she needed to talk to Echo. She came up to her pseudo ally. "Hey Echopaw, can we have a talk?" she asked.

Echopaw looked surprised and the two of them cast suspicious glances at her, but the midnight-black she-cat whispered something to Breezepaw and the brown tabby tom walked away.

"Well?" Echopaw asked crisply, obviously tense. "What do you need to talk about?"

Moonpaw sighed. "Look, Echopaw...I just wanted to apologize." The she-cat looked confused. "I know I have been acting a little...different lately, but it's just because of something that happened. Old wounds, that is. And what we're up against."

Echopaw tilted her head to the side quizzically. "Wait, what happened?"

She slowed her pace and sighed. Recalling the memories from the kit's past, she continued. "I'm concerned for Breezepaw. And something else."

"You see, something happened to Breezepaw's parents. He never speaks of it, because it's a story we don't really focus on. But it happened a couple moons before you came into the IceClan camp. And there's something you don't know. His father was a rogue. Breezepaw's mother was my mother's sister. That's how we're cousins."

"But what makes the story so tragic?" Echopaw inquired.

Moonpaw felt a small wave of frustration but put it down. _Act like the real Moonpaw, mousebrain._ "We knew about Darkness and his followers before you arrived. At that time there were only stories about what they called the Black Sun-that was the group that the evil spirit commanded-and ultimately led to the death of Breezepaw's parents. My cousin's scarred for life. Both mentally and physically. He was just a little over a moon old and scented his parents. Breezepaw fell right into this trap the Black Sun made, and left him for dead. We found him, but he received a scar from it. It's really bad," she confessed.

Echopaw was solemnly silent for a few minutes, but then continued. "So what's the 'something else?'"

"I miss home. I miss being _me_ ," Moonpaw explained sadly (though she secretly was indifferent about the conflict). "My mother is back home in IceClan and wonders where I am. And I never got to say goodbye, just in case..."

"No, Moonpaw, please don't say that," Echopaw begged. "We are going to get through this together." She paused. "And if you need to tell me anything, I'll always be there. We'll always be friends."

Moonpaw fake sniffled in order to keep up the act. "Th-thank you, Echopaw-"

A battle yowl came from ahead. In its lead was the spy Moonpaw saw earlier. She smiled with glee. _The Black Sun came._

 _"Ram'or!"_ The leader cried and rushed into battle, with his comrades close behind him. Moonpaw instantly "attacked" the leader, but fought with her claws sheathed. He swiftly pinned her down and scratched her mercilessly. _"Vi Kelir urcir laam,"_ he growled. Moonpaw nodded curtly. He knocked her out with a hit to the head.

"Moonpaw!" Echopaw heard Breezepaw cry. She grimly continued to fight her opponent, but he began pulling back with the others. _"Tok'kad!"_ the chief ordered, and the enemies were out of sight in a flash.

 _Where's Moonpaw? What happened to her?_ Echopaw thought urgently. Though there may be something wrong with her, she was still one of her closest friends.

"Over here!" Bracken yowled urgently. Echopaw rushed to his side. Moonpaw lay unconscious, with blood oozing from the scratches the chief gave her. Breezepaw immediately began licking the silver she-cat's wounds as quickly as he could. A rush of worry went through her. _Moonpaw doesn't look too good. Were the enemies that attacked us the Black Sun?_

"We need to get help, and fast," Echopaw meowed quickly, and Breezepaw and Bracken nodded in unison. "I saw another Twolegplace nearby. Maybe there's a fellow kittypet that can help us. I'll check it out."

After touching noses goodbye to her brother and Breezepaw, she set out. A small chill rushed through her spine after a breeze blew by. Looking back at the sun she realized that the sun was setting. _We need to find help, and fast._

Looking ahead in the distance there was a group of Twoleg houses. But by judging the distance from where she was and her destination, she knew that by the time she reached Twolegplace it would be nightfall. Echopaw groaned wearily. She continued to walk miserably to the urban place. Personally she didn't think that Twolegplace was bad, but remembering one of her previous adventures in the city made her reluctant to return. She smiled as she remembered the memory:

 _Echo was tired, hungry, and completely miserable. The last complete meal she ever had was a big collection of scraps from the garbage can. But remembering her mother's comforting voice encouraged her to keep on going. To bring hope to others._

 _"Hey!" A voice called from above. "Who are_ you _?"_

 _As Echo looked up a plump tabby kittypet stared at her curiously with with eyes._

 _"Most importantly, who are you?" Echo asked wearily, jumping up onto the kittypet's fence._

 _The kittypet licked a paw casually. "I'm Rose," she mewed. Inspecting Echo's thin frame, she sniffed with concern. "You look half-starved! Would you like to have some food?"_

 _Echo nodded, too tired and hungry to say no. Jumping off the fence into the Twoleg den she began to realize it might be a mistake._ No, _she thought._ Rose is a really nice cat, and you need the food.

 _She pushed away her thoughts and eagerly followed Rose through the "doggie door" she went through._

 _A few high-pitched barks came from a fluffy white dog. Echo flinched, but realized that the strange animal was trapped in a cage._ Twolegs are dumber than I thought, _she thought with a small smile._

 _"Hey, wild cat!" Rose meowed. "The food's over here." She gestured to two small bowls filled with milk and a pink substance. Echo sniffed the pink stuff thoughtfully. Was it...fish?_

 _"Come on, eat it! It won't hurt you," Rose teased gently._

 _Echo gave a playful roll of her eyes and began to eat the gooey pink stuff. It was surprisingly good despite its looks and she enjoyed the warm, delicious milk that came with it. "Thanks," she managed after she finished the meal._

 _"Anytime." Rose smiled kindly. "You can sleep here too, if you like."_

 _At first Echo hesitated, but she was so sleepy she agreed. As she got comfortable in the fluffy bed, Rose spoke up again. "Hey, can you tell me your name?"_

 _"My name's Echo," Echo murmured as she felt the drowsiness sink in and fell asleep._

 _A jolt woke her up from the peaceful moments of sleep. Echo yowled in terror as she realized she was behind bars. She tried biting the wire, but it was no use._

 _"Don't struggle," Rose mumbled miserably. "We're going to the vet."_

 _"The what now?" Echo was so confused and afraid._

 _"We're going to a vet, a pet doctor. And both of us have to get fixed."_

 _"Fixed? What does that mean?" Echo began to panic._

 _"I don't exactly know what it means, but I heard stories about it. There was this cat named Henry, and he went to the vet to get fixed. He came back fat and lazy, and never was the same again."_

 _"Please, Rose!" Echo begged. "I think you know how to get out."_

 _Rose sighed. "Yes, I do, but I'm never going to leave my Twolegs. But I can get you out."_

 _"But what about you? The vet will-" Echo began._

 _"Echo, please trust me. I knew that you wouldn't stay as a kittypet, but I'm going to."_

 _The strange box that they were in came to an abrupt stop._

 _"We're here," Rose breathed._

 _Behind Echo heard a click and light began flooding in. A male Twoleg stared at them with blank, expressionless eyes. He grabbed the handles that were above the cages and brought them to a strange house. The Twoleg then opened the door to reveal sqawking birds, barking dogs, cats, and small mice-sized animals that Echo heard Rose call "hamsters."_

 _After that Echo heard several voices of Twolegs lead them into a room. It was mostly white with some papers glued to the wall._ Geez, Twolegs don't make any logical sense whatsoever, _Echo thought. The Twoleg she thought was the vet unlocked the cage and carried Rose onto a sheet of paper. Then Rose's owner and the Twoleg vet left to talk privately leaving the door partly open._

 _Rose quickly ran to Echo's cage and unlocked it after a few tries. "Now go!" She hissed urgently._

 _Echo began to run, but before she ran out the door she turned to the ginger kittypet. "Hey Rose?"_

 _Rose looked at her with wide eyes. "May StarClan be with you," Echo meowed._

Looking at how far Twolegplace now Echopaw saw a nest that looked strangely familiar. The sunset was almost finished and remembering Moonpaw she ran quickly to the strange house.

"Hello?" Echopaw meowed cautiously. "Is anyone here?"

"Who's there?" Another voice called in the semi-darkness.

"Um, one of my friends are injured and we were wondering if we could stay here for a few days?" Echopaw asked nervously.

"Come closer," the voice ordered, and Echopaw abided. Looking up she saw a face she hadn't seen in a long time. In the light the voice turned out to be a cat with a white paw and a dappled ginger pelt.

Both cats gasped. "Rose?" Echopaw asked hesitantly.

"Where is the spy I sent out earlier?" Darkness demanded to Chieftain. "And have you found where Fulcrum's wherabouts are?" The spirit paced in its cell with agitation.

"My lord, in an earlier transmission the spy told me he knocked Fulcrum out because she asked for Operation MX-" Chieftain began.

"No, no, no!" The evil lord snarled. "Why would my apprentice do that?"

"Well, the spy also told me that Echo was onto her..."

Darkness growled with annoyance. _We were so close to capturing Echo and her lousy friends, and then my apprentice orders for Operation MX? Even if Echo was onto her, we didn't need_ another _setback! I was a few days close to my revenge, and now I have to wait a few weeks!_

"Go now, Cheiftain," he snapped. "And _never_ question my orders again, or else you WILL pay."

Darkness could sense Chieftain's fear as he replied, "Yes, my lord," and left in a hurry. After the useless cat left he banged against the walls in rage. The sinister presence remembered from a previous report that the trio received their gifts from Snowstar. _That gutless excuse of a warrior is actually becoming a threat,_ it thought. Looking at the small cage that he trapped that fellow Peacemaker, the one he had possessed for thousands upon thousands of years-until she had scarcely a life force to begin with. The dark she-cat inside the cage groaned and raised her head to look at the spirit. "Wh-who are you?" Her voice was cracked with dust and age. _Her vision is still foggy._

"Why, don't you remember me, _Peacemaker?"_ Darkness gloated. He practically spat the word _Peacemaker._ "After all of these years...

" _Echo_?"

The Peacemaker's eyes rounded in surprise and fear. "No...no, the Dark Echo," she mewed, fear making her voice high-pitched. "You were dead-you are weak!"

"I think you got that wrong, Echo," he snarked. " _You_ are the one that is weak. I absorbed almost all of your life energy-must have been those nine lives. Don't worry, I saved you half of one. And I'm making sure that you are part of my amazing plan. You see these four young kits right here?" He asked, showing Echo a picture of the questing cats inside the cauldron. "You see...you are the bait, and you are the center of the plan! Echo, I'm making sure you're the special snowflake. After all, _Flame_ was the one who got all of the attention after you and I were exiled."

"You talk too much!" Echo growled angrily, swiping her claws at the spirit.

"Again...wrong!" He laughed. "It seems like you need to be taught a thing or two. Spirits like me are almost invincible. Anyway-"

Echo glared at Darkness. "Mouse-brain! Those young cats, along with Snowstar-"

" _Snowstar?"_ Darkness chortled. "Just because _Snowstar_ is my all-powerful equivalent doesn't mean that she is going to help! That weak cat put her trust and her power into four young kits to save the world! Now," the spirit snapped. "be gone."

A purple haze crept around the Peacemaker. "Yes, my lord," Echo replied in a monotone voice. The dark she-cat's eyes grew heavy and she went into a soft doze. The dark spirit smirked.

 _Oh, Snowstar can't reach me here! After all of this is over, she is going back to StarClan where she belongs,_ Darkness thought.

"We shall meet again, Snowstar," the spirit cackled. "We _shall_ meet again."


	15. Rose

"Echo, it's so great to see you!" Rose purred happily. As Echopaw stared more at her, she noticed that she looked less like a normal cat and more like a kittypet. The dim light began to flicker, but for some reason it became a little brighter.

"Actually, my name's _Echopaw_ now," she corrected. "I joined a Clan around a few moons ago."

Rose was obviously confused, but she murmured her congratulations. "I know you're not here just to talk, Echopaw," the plump tabby commented. "What happened this time?"

 _Moonpaw!_ Echopaw thought urgently. _Oh StarClan, please make sure she's okay..._ "Well, a friend of mine got hurt and I was wondering if we could stay here for a couple of days."

The she-cat tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment. "I have plenty of food to spare. Why can't I say no? Of course I would help my old friend."

"I'll get her, but it's going to take a while," Echopaw explained quickly. "She's around the far side of the ridge."

"The ridge?" Rose jumped off her fence and outside her home with an awkward landing. "I know a shortcut that will only take a few minutes."

"Really?" Echopaw was overjoyed. "Lead the way, Rose."

"Wait!" A squeak erupted behind the two cats. "Auntie Rose, where are you going?"

Echopaw and Rose turned to see a young tortoiseshell she-kit staring at them with intense blue eyes. She was very young, around a moon old with her eyes and ears recently opened.

"Rose, you have a littermate?" Echopaw asked, turning to the kittypet.

"Well...not exactly," Rose confided. "You see, Echopaw, she was all alone and I took her in."

"What's her name?" Echopaw inquired curiously.

"Tabi," She meowed. "It's the only thing she remembers from her real mother."

A pang of sadness swarm over Echopaw. _At least I saw my mother,_ she thought. _The poor kitten only remembers one word from her real mother._

"Now stay there, okay?" Rose told the kit gently. "I'll be back soon."

Tabi nodded. "Yes, Auntie."

Immediately the kittypet began leading her to a different path. _It's nice to have a kittypet friend,_ she thought. As the stars twinkled faintly a small drizzle of rain began to fall. "Great, just what I need," Echopaw muttered sarcastically.

Rose flicked her ears but said nothing in reply. Echopaw was surprised. Rose was more of a social butterfly and normally outgoing. _What could possibly be on Rose's mind now?_

"You know, Echopaw," Rose mewed after a long stretch of silence, "you never told me what you did after you left."

Echopaw hesitated. _You never told me about why you're so quiet!_ She wanted to retort back. Instead she stopped herself from being so mouse-brained. "Well after I was on my own for a while, and then I found IceClan." She would _never_ tell Rose that she was almost killed by a dog. "I made some friends, left with them, got special training, found my long-lost brother, and got into a fight with strange cats. And then I got here," she explained vaguely.

Rose frowned. Echopaw already knew that Rose thought there was more to the story, but the ginger cat didn't question. "Wait. You have a _brother?"_

"Yes, apparently," Echopaw replied blandly. "His name's Bracken."

The kittypet chuckled. "I guess since you found your long-lost brother you never knew, hedgehogs _can_ fly."

Echopaw managed a weak smile from Rose's joke, but it was hard when Moonpaw was still out there and badly injured.

Rose was right. The shortcut was a few minutes. However, when they almost reached Moonpaw, Breezepaw, and Bracken, a strange smell cut her off. It wasn't prey-it was another cat! To make it worse, it was fresh.

Echopaw flicked her ears nervously. "Rose, we should get out of here."

Rose sniffed the scent marker. "Oh, that's just Blaze and his gang of alley cats. Don't worry, Echo," she quickly told Echopaw, "these cats can help us. I'm friends with Blaze."The rain was even worse when they returned. Breezepaw and Bracken were both trying to shelter Moonpaw, and the two cats were soaked. Breezepaw's worried expression melted when his eyes met Echopaw's. Moonpaw's pelt was faintly glowing in the darkness. A glimmer of hope went through the group. _If her pelt is glowing, she's alive._

The questing cats were weak and tired, and Echopaw and Breezepaw supported the silver-white she-cat from both sides.

When the group finally reached Rose's house, drenched and tired, the ginger kittypet showed them a hole in the fence where they could escape any time.

As Breezepaw, Bracken, and Moonpaw made their way into Rose's home, Echopaw stopped her friend. "Thank you, Rose," she murmured. "For everything."

As Moonpaw opened her blurry eyes she saw the interior of a house with her pseudo allies inside, fast asleep. _How do I get out of here..._ there _!_ She snuck through the small flap on the door. Little did she know that a certain cat was following her.

The crickets chirped fearfully as she passed by. Ominous creaking noises came from the old bridge she walked on. A small spark of fear fluttered in her, but Moonpaw calmed herself. _It's the Dark Hour. This hour is_ supposed _to be creepy._ How could she, Traya, be _afraid_ when she was apprentice to one of the most evil forces of all time? She pushed away the fear immediately.

Nearby she smelled a Dark Warrior's scent marker. _The Meeting Point must be nearby._

A twig cracked behind her and she whipped around to see Chieftain and a few Dark Warriors with him. _"Traya, vi enteyor dajun cuun projor ram'or,"_ the high-ranked officer told her urgently.

 _"Jate,"_ she replied in their language. _"O'r a kisol days ram'or sha ibic ceratir,"_ gesturing with her tail to a group of hills nearby.

Cheiftain and the Dark Warriors nodded in agreement, voicing their acceptance in unison. However she saw a flash of suspicious movement in the cluster of bushes close by. _"Gev!"_ She hissed angrily, fur bristling. _"Sushir."_

The group paused to listen; their silence made the running water and chirping crickets more clearly. After what seemed like forever a twig snapped not too far away, a cat's fear-scent trailed to her nose.

 _"Bic's a spy, gar fools!"_ Moonpaw spat. _"Ve'ganir kaysh; ogir enteyor cuyir nayc witnesses!"_

The cats nodded and shouted the battle yowl. Moonpaw watched intently on the situation. Instincts screamed at her to join the conflict, but she resisted. A few moments later the yowls were silenced and the group returned. One of the younger Dark Warriors who spoke Cat stepped forward nervously. "Um, Traya..." the Dark Warrior mewed uncertainly, claws digging in the dirt, "t-the cat, uh, t-they g-got away..." He stuttered, embarrassed.

Rage surged inside her. "You let her get away?!" Moonpaw growled to the inexperienced warrior in Cat, claws tearing up the dirt. "You insolent mouse-brain!" She roared, claws out and preparing to strike. Chieftain and the older Dark Warriors surrounded them in a circle, the tension prickling from their pelts. The young Dark Warrior shrank back, fear accelerating rapidly. Moonpaw's eyes glared daggers at him. "You know, in one blow I could kill you, _Alder,_ " she growled, "but I'm feeling generous today. All you need to tell me is _one good reason_ on why you lost that spy."

Alder trembled from her menacing words, but managed to speak. "T-there was t-two of them, and I-I remember t-that o-one was very f-fast. They were f-formidable fighters t-too," the young tom whispered fearfully.

"And none of you other mouse-brains could keep up?" Moonpaw growled, and Chieftain and the Dark Warriors took a flinching step back. "This young warrior gave me _two_ good reasons why you mangy pieces of fox dung are pathetic. _All_ of you are to blame!" She screeched, her voice rising. "You, Alder," she snapped at the young Dark Warrior, "you get excused from patrol tonight. When we come back tell Darkness that I requested for you to get a treat. And the rest of you," Moonpaw hissed, "will go watch the camp all night. Are there any objections?"

All of the Dark Warriors had ashamed expressions on their faces, and the group was silent. "I didn't think so," she snarled, and left the shocked Dark Warriors in the grassy clearing.

"I told you Moonpaw was possessed!" Echopaw argued. Why can't you just _believe_ me?" She stiffened, and her ears drooped. "Did you ever believe me?"

The tom next to her had a solemn expression on his face. "Look, Echo...I _want_ to believe you, but Moonpaw is my cousin. She's the only family I have left. Maybe she's just on the wrong side right now, but I can help her!"

"Stop being oblivious, Breezepaw!" She snapped. The tabby had a hurt expression on his face. "Open your eyes and listen!" Her eyes began to water, and her voice shook. "Breezy-I don't know what happened to her, but she's possessed. Just please trust me," she begged. "Please. For Moonpaw."

Breezepaw's eyes were hardened, but they grew softer. He managed a small smile, murmuring, "For Moonpaw," and the pair walked back with their tails twined.

Rose yawned, stretched, and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision still blurry with sleep, she stumbled around her Twoleg's house, lapping a little at the clear, cool water and nibbling on the morning's fresh tuna. Checking quickly on Tabi (who was still asleep) on the way out, the light ginger kittypet lazily strutted out the flapping door, taking in nature's air. She bunched up her muscles and jumped onto the top of her fence, paws scrabbling as she got a firm hold on the wood. Bright, warm rays of sunshine descended upon her, and Rose looked upon the grassy meadow that stretched almost endlessly, with seeing the sparkling lake nearby, and the twittering birds singing a happy tune. _This is perfect,_ she thought. _It's all peaceful, no distractions-_

"Rose!" A familiar voice yowled, and the small moment of quiet was shattered. She carefully jumped down, and squeezed through the hole to meet her friend. "Echo, did you sleep the night...outside?" Seeing the tabby tom Breezepaw next to her, she leaned in closer to the dark she-cat, whispering nervously, _"With him?"_

Echo looked slightly embarrassed at her suggestive comment, but continued. "Look, we got to tell you something about Moonpaw: We followed her outside last night-"

"She woke up?!" Rose exclaimed, shocked. "I thought with her state Moonpaw was in a coma!"

"-and she was making...battle plans to attack us at the hills in a few days-"

Now it was Breezepaw's turn to interject. _"What?!"_ The brown tom yowled. "You never told me about that!" He paused, confused. "All I could hear is gibberish. You know their language?"

Echo was visibly half-annoyed by her friends interrupting her, but Rose knew that Echo had a good temper. And it was true. The she-cat continued, "A little," she admitted. "I actually didn't know I had learned their language. Snowstar was telling me about this...in a cryptic kind of way. But we need to get to the point here," she mewed firmly, eyes stern. "We need in all of our power to stay away from those hills. Rose, can you help us?"

She nodded immediately. "I'm in. Well, I can help you...in a different way."

"Wait." Echo took a step closer to her friend. "You're not coming with us?"

"I'm a kittypet, Echo," she stated sadly. "Even if I did join you, StarClan knows that I'm not meant to be a hero. I'm the helper. To get you all on the right track. But I know a few cats who can give you directions to the place you've been looking for."

"No..." Echo groaned. "Not _them!"_

"Wait, who exactly?" Breezepaw asked with confusion. Echo looked more miserable than ever, Rose giving her friends a lopsided half-smile.

"Not Blaze and his alley cats!" She wailed loudly.

All of a sudden, Bracken appeared with a chipper smile on his face. "Hey guys!" He meowed. "Good morn-" The tawny-furred cat looked at Echo, who was sulking on the floor. Awkward silence surrounded the four cats. "I guess it was the wrong time to say that?" He asked, an embarrassed grin replacing his smile.


	16. Back On Track

The anger grew steadily inside Moonpaw as she watched her plan-once perfect-was going to waste. "Traya, should we attack now?" Alder asked nervously, his fear-scent strong in the air.

"First, _no._ Second, shut your mouth and be discreet. Anyone can smell your fear-scent from a 5-mile radius!" She snapped, flicking her tail in the young Dark Warrior's face.

Cheiftain and the older Dark Warriors chuckled softly, but with a glare from Moonpaw silenced the lightened mood entirely. The group of spies continued hiding in the nearby bushes, straining their ears for any snippet of the heroes' conversation. As Moonpaw-no, _Traya,_ listened intently to the chatting cats, Bracken pointed his nose in the air toward their hiding place and sniffed suspiciously, but the action was discreet so the others did not pay any attention.

Something poked Traya in the side. Chieftain. "Traya, watch cats for long time now," he spoke in poor Cat. "Dark Warriors hungry. Need food."

 _We need to find out their plan!_ Annoyance pricked at her pelt, but somehow Traya managed brushed it off. "Fine," she grumbled quietly. "Take another warrior with you."

Another Dark Warrior, Birch, was about to search for some food with the highly ranked guard, but a familiar voice intervened. "Wait!" Chieftain whispered. "Berry here. Traya we can eat?"

"Yes, just eat if you're hungry," she growled softly, ears still swiveling in an effort to hear the other group's conversation.

Little did she notice that the berries Chieftain were referring to were _deathberries._ At the corner of her eye she saw Birch reaching for the familiar scarlet berry. Traya internally panicked when she recognized the familiar yew, but ignored the potential harm that was ahead for Birch. _Whatever, she was a mousebrain anyway._ However, Traya did forget that when eating deathberries the affected cat causes a scene.

And it did.

A few seconds later, a raspy, choking sound could be heard from the back. Traya's eyes widened in alarm as she turned to Birch. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head so it only showed the pearly whites, and her mouth foamed uncontrollably. The Dark Warrior collapsed into the grass, limbs thrashing everywhere and her fear-scent rising. _Mouse dung, I forgot about that!_ Traya internally punched herself.

The first cat from the opposing group to hear them was Echo (of course), suspiciously listening to the noise. The black she-cat stopped the conversation altogether. "Wait, stop! Do you guys hear that?"

"It sounds like...a dying cat!" Rose squeaked, eyes wide in horror.

"It's time to run now!" Traya whispered urgently, the remaining Dark Warriors and Chieftain trailing behind her.

Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Rose began debriefing their plans on how to get Moonpaw back (obviously after Echopaw _finally_ finished sulking, which was a long time) to the light. Echopaw suddenly heard a slight crack of a twig nearby, but shook it off.

"Oh! I have a great idea!" Bracken meowed enthusiastically, eyes bright with confidence. "What if Blaze and his cats fake-attack us and we get split up? Then the fastest one of us gets stuck with Moonpaw and then we find out a way to purify her, and then Blaze attacks again! Moonpaw will be distracted, and that would be the perfect time to de-possess her." The tawny-colored tom seemed proud of his plan. "Now, who's the fastest of all of us?"

Echopaw immediately turned to Breezepaw, and Rose and Bracken followed likewise. The brown tabby tom protested with annoyance, but after a few more heartbeats he sighed in defeat. "Fine, but I am _not_ hurting my cousin!" He spat. For some reason part of his fur was on end.

A strange feeling crept up on Echopaw, but she brushed it off. Before she could say another word, a choking sound found its way into her field of hearing. Dread prickled on her pelt even more than rotten fresh-kill being fed to her or a dark alleyway. "Wait, stop!" She meowed urgently. "Did you guys hear that?"

The group of heroes stiffened and listened. Unfortunately, there was a choking sound coming from the nearby bush-one of a cat's. _Someone's spying on us!_

Rose looked like she was about to faint with horror. "It sounds like...a dying cat!" She managed to squeak out.

Echopaw and her friends immediately raced to the bush, with Moonpaw's fresh scent and the markings of Dark Warriors scattered in every part. The adrenaline came back to her as she stared at the horrendous sight.

Lying there was a dead Dark Warrior, mouth foamy and the whites of her eyes fully exposed.

"It's even worse than we thought," Echopaw murmured, nothing but fear expressing the emotions she felt after seeing the gruesome sight. Rose and Breezepaw quickly piled dirt on top of the decaying body, its ghastly, lifeless figure was the last thing any cat wanted to see right now.

She even shuddered just thinking about the Dark Warrior's corpse. _Just remember to never think about that subject._

They all just stood in silence for a few moments, holding an unannounced vigil from their enemy that was killed by _berries._

"Um...maybe it's time to go to Blaze now?" Rose questioned as the sun began to pass into the western part of the sky.

For a minute Echopaw was distracted, but she kept her attention back to the present. "Yeah, let's go."

Rose led the group of cats down a dark, narrow alleyway. It was nearly sunset by the time they got there, and the long shadows made the setting have an even uneasier feeling to it. Every footstep they took made an eerie echo, and to make matters worse it was also a little foggy tonight. Rats with their red, glimmering beady eyes stared at them with interest, however seconds later they continued to their squabbling over a tiny crumb from the dumpster. It looked like the sunset was completely evaporated from the desolate, dark setting, and Echopaw felt fear-scents rising from both Bracken and Breezepaw, even if they are too "tough" to admit it. Echopaw gently brushed against Breezepaw for a moment, and the two close friends exchanged a loving look to each other. The oddly purple-eyed she-cat hurried next to Rose's side, whispering urgently.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Echopaw was too scared to talk normally, because she feared that some evil that may be lurking in the darkness would come and attack them.

Her kittypet friend rested her comforting tail on Echopaw's tense shoulder. "Yes, we're almost there," she mewed reassuringly. Echopaw shuddered and sighed with overflowing relief. "And Echo, you don't need to worry about this. You know, Blaze and his alley cats purposely make this alley dark and creepy so you don't come near," she added with a teasing note in her voice.

After a few more disturbing, slow moments, the ginger she-cat finally came to a halt in front of an old, battered up fence. Echopaw, Breezepaw, and Bracken looked at her skeptically as she walked up. A small slot opened to reveal another cat's eyes. "Password?" The stranger asked.

"Password 1," she replied, and the stranger closed the slot. After a few minutes the door opened. "Welcome, Rose," the stranger meowed with a cringeworthy smile that looked almost like a grimace. He was a mottled black and white tom with dark eyes and an eyepatch covering his left eye. "New friends?"

"I'll tell you when I see Blaze, Roach," Rose meowed, narrowing her eyes. Echopaw was shocked to see this side of her normally kind friend be shown.

"You are still as sassy as ever!" The cat which Rose called Roach chortled. "Come, come, you don't want to keep Blaze waiting."

The alleyway was still dark, even though Echopaw thought that passing the crazily tall gate would lead to some actually light. However in her opinion she liked having temporary night vision enhancement.

Roach led them to a stinky dumpster, and the rotten stench made Bracken, Echopaw, and Breezepaw all wrinkle their noses in disgust. What really surprised her was that Rose wasn't even miffed by the rancid stench coming from the rotting trash as the black-and-white cat brought them through a hidden hole behind the perishing mess.

After going through a series of many sewer tunnels which seemed like forever, the group was engulfed by a great light that blinded them at first, but as their eyes adjusted they realized they were surrounded by alley cats with eye patches, humps on their backs, fur matted and dirty, and their scents reeking of the dumpster.

"Well, well, well..." A voice boomed inside the secret building, "Rose, you never told me about these cats!" A patchy orange cat wearing a collar with dull golden studs strutted forward with the alley cats clearing a neat path for him. _That must be Blaze!_ Realization hit Echopaw like a bomb.

"They just came a couple of days ago," Rose explained, a small grin on her face as she spoke. "Echo's one of my old friends-remember when I told you about her?"

"Oh yes!" He meowed warmly. "The pretty black cat with purple eyes is Echo, right?"

The ginger kittypet nodded, her eyes brimming with...satisfaction? Or was that something else?

"Oh ho ho, yes! And who are you, eh?" Blaze questioned at Breezepaw, sticking his patchy tail in the tom's face. The tabby cat began to speak, but was cut off with the strange alley cat "king" pushing his tail to his lips. "Don't tell me...wait a minute! You must be Echo's boyfriend!"

Breezepaw's shocked expression became into sheer embarrassment. In fact, Echopaw could almost see the blush on his fur-or was that her? After Blaze said those words, the warm feeling embraced her and she knew that Rose was practically _dying_ of laughter on the inside. When glancing to her kittypet friend, the corners of her mouth were twitching upwards, and she could tell Rose was doing all she could to not laugh.

"Uh...wait! I-I'm not h-her _boyfriend!"_ Breezepaw stuttered awkwardly, paws moving uncomfortably in the dirt.

The huge crowd of alley cats began chortling with laughter and then a few seconds later Rose let out all of her amusement and began chuckling, which turned into non-stop laughter.

"Ah, laddie," Blaze guffawed between laughs, "don't you know if you're acting awkward on a subject or trying to avoid something it's actually true?!" The laughter continued, even louder this time.

 _Now_ Echopaw was completely embarrassed, so humiliated that she thought that even the warm blush on her skin could be seen on her pelt. She felt the warm feeling creep all the way down her neck. _Oh, fox dung, why did this have to happen?_

Finally, after everyone-including Bracken-laughed their hearts and souls out, Blaze became serious. "Now I know y'all haven't come here just to chat. What do you young'uns need?"

Echopaw brushed off all embarrassment and stepped forward. "We need your help on finding the quickest way to the Cave of Shadows."

 _"The Cave of Shadows?!"_ Blaze screeched, and all of the alley cats' pelts were on end. A second later he suddenly relaxed and started chuckling. "Oh, I get it! You're jokin'!"

The alley cats along with Blaze began laughing again. "HA HAUR!" The patchy orange leader shouted. "This is the most I ever laughed in a day ever since my younger times! You kits deserve it being called a knee-slapper!"

"Wait!" Roach called out from the crowd and the laughing stopped. Everyone stared at him for a moment, until he began chortling with laughter again. "We don't have knees!"

As the cats continued to laugh, the annoyance inside Echopaw was finally starting to get to her. She struggled to get in under control, but this time...

She had enough.

"STOP!" Echopaw yowled, and Blaze and the alley cats turned to face her. "We _actually_ need to go to the Cave of Shadows, because we were lead by some cryptic prophecy as _kits_ to attempt to save the world!" The black she-cat was now seething with annoyance and anger at the alley cats' stupidity and insolence, but it felt good to let out her feelings.

"What prophecy are you referring to, Echo?" Blaze asked, all laughter from his voice was gone, and the patchy orange cat dead serious. The mass of cats hushed immediately to listen.

All eyes were on her as she spoke. "It's the prophecy of the Dark Echo," she explained, and the cats in the crowd let out a huge gasp. "Flame came to me in a dream, and he said to me, 'To bring peace and harmony, find the breeze and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo.'"

Blaze came closer to Echopaw, now focusing intently on what she had to say. "I don't believe it," he breathed. " _You_ are the echo! The One who will save us all! At first I thought it was an old she-cat's tale, but now, after all of this time...we will be saved!" He cheered. Echopaw was surprised in the tom's sudden change of behavior, and was about to say more when he interrupted. "Of course in all of Flame's name we will help you! Echo, let's get started on this right away!"

All of the alley cats cheered, and for one rare moment, Echopaw felt happy, even _loved_ again. Breezepaw bashfully touched noses with her subtly, and nobody seemed to notice. Bracken, however tired, smiled and laughed like it was another great day and they were playing his favorite game, and Rose couldn't stop the radiating grin that was on her face.

Little did anyone know that not so far away in the deep, dark, twisty sewer pipes a certain Dark Lord apprentice had tracked their scents all the way up to Blaze's secret hiding place, and eavesdropped on everything they had said. "Darkness is going to love this," Traya cackled as she watched from the sewer pipes, tail flicking proudly. "Just you wait, Echo. We are coming to get you."


	17. Plan B

**A/N Haha! I'm breaking through the fourth wall on this chapter, peoples! I just feel so derpy today...also WARNING! Lots of fluff and possibly a tearjerker. Nothing inappropriate, but yeah...I got carried away writing this one...**

"So you're going to join us?" Echopaw asked, confuzzled and awe-struck at the same time. After the great party they celebrated a few hours ago ended, Blaze and Roach escorted them to their private "office" back into a secret pathway in the sewer pipes.

"Yep!" The orange cat meowed, popping the p. "If _you_ think you're going to defeat that darkness fellow by yourselves, you've got to _kitten_ me!" Both alley cats roared with laughter for a minute. Echopaw rolled her eyes, Breezepaw gave a lopsided half-smile, Bracken managed a small chuckle, and Rose...Rose was just being a strangely silent Rose.

"But in all seriousness," Roach continued after the laughter faded, "we need a _huge_ army of we're going to defeat Darkness, and I mean huge."

"So...where are we going to get more warriors on our side?" Breezepaw asked.

"Well, you have the Clans to help," Blaze replied, and Bracken chimed in mewing, "I can ask some of my friends from the Tribe to help."

Echopaw thought for a moment. "With all of us combined, our forces would definitely be formidable, but will they be enough to defeat Darkness? I mean, there's a lot of Dark Warriors and Moonpaw..." Her voice trailed off, and her head hung low for a minute, all cats in the group doing the same, as if honoring the cheerful apprentice.

The silence and sorrow penetrated the great joy they had earlier, and the wound became greater by every second. However a strange voice appeared in Echopaw's head (aka me XD).

 **Echopaw! Don't lose hope now! I know** ** _exactly_** **what's going to happen~**

 _What?! Who are you?_ She thought with alarm, frantically looking everywhere to find the source of the voice.

 **I'm the narrator, silly!** ** _I'm_** **the one who's telling the story and I have your fate all planned out!**

Echopaw shook her head. _You are creepy, you know that right?_

 **I know! By the way, did you know that you and Breezepaw-**

"STOP IT!" She shouted angrily, and all of the cats turned to stare at her with confusion. "I-I, uh..." Echopaw's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry," the dark she-cat mumbled.

After a few awkward moments of silence Blaze broke the wall. "Well, kiddos, that's about it for today. But I'm not letting you four leave until you sleep here tonight!"

The heroes murmured their thanks to the alley cat as they walked to where Blaze instructed them earlier. At the corner of her eye, Echopaw spotted Breezepaw being pulled over by Blaze and the two cats were having a serious conversation. _What could they possibly be talking about?_ She wondered, taking a step closer, but ultimately decided against it.

 **Echopaw my dear, you should have listened! I know** **** **what they're talking about-**

"No thanks," she growled softly, lying down on the soft hide that was waiting for her, closed her eyes, and turned away, obviously ignoring the narrator.

Breezepaw was about to follow Echo when Blaze pulled him away from the group. "What in the name of StarClan was that for, Blaze?!" He growled, annoyed.

"Before you say anything else, young'un, I need to have a serious talk with you," the patchy old cat croaked. Breezepaw looked into the old tom's eyes. They showed no sign of laughter or teasing. _Please say he's not going to make fun of me,_ the young tabby tom silently pleaded.

"Well?" He demanded after the rest of the cats were gone, including Roach.

"Just tell the truth for me on this question." Blaze meowed gruffly. There was a pause, tension thick in the air. "Are you and Echo together? You know, _together?"_

Breezepaw's cheeks flushed red. He gave a lovestruck sigh. "Yeah..." He realized with horror on what he just said. "Wait! I-I mean, no! No, maybe?"

Blaze chuckled at the tom's jumbled response. "Don't worry about it, laddie. I have some experience in the love department, too."

 **REALLY BLAZE?! DON'T GIVE POOR BREEZEPAW ADVICE! IF ANYONE SHOULD BE DOING IT, IT SHOULD BE MEEEE!**

*realizes both cats are staring at me* **Oh...sorry...(walks away awkwardly)**

Breezepaw nodded at the old tom. "Go on."

"You see, to get some she-cat like Echo into you, you have to prove your loyalty. Be reassuring, and no joking around, mister!" He laughed heartily.

Breezepaw just stared silently at him.

"She wants _you_ to make a move," Blaze continued. "Show her signs that you want to be with her, and always have he back. I know that Echo deserves a kind young tom like you," he murmured, "and I ship it, of course!"

 **THAT IS MY SAME REACTION BLAZE! (I DON'T CARE! I SHIP IT!)**

Both cats ignored the narrator's obsessive fangirling and Blaze bid the brown tabby tom goodnight. The patchy orange cat was about to leave when Breezepaw called to him, saying, "Wait, Blaze!"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"I just wanted to say...thank you. For that. I really appreciate it."

A pause.

"Anytime, lassie," Blaze purred. "Now take care of your girlfriend for me, okay?" He winked.

Dawn came all too fast. For a second Echopaw closed her eyes, and now Blaze stood before her and greeted them good morning. She groaned, struggling to wake up. Rose was already waiting, and Bracken was-

 **EATING MARSHMALLOWS!**

 _Author, shut up._

 **But Bracken needz MARSHMALLOWS!**

 _Don't you dare ruin this story! I swear to StarClan, just make a random non-canon fanfic about Bracken eating marshmallows!_

 **Okay, I will! Byeeeee, and Bracken, get ready to eat LOTZ OF MARSHMALLOWZ!**

 _Uh...okay, I didn't mean that literally. Well, where were we?_

And Bracken was talking to some random she-cat that was part of Blaze's group. **(Ooh, Bracken's in love!)** With a small sigh an a groan, Echopaw stood up and the group stayed for morning's meal. After that (which the meal took up a lot of time from laughing), the heroes bid their goodbyes. Before Echopaw could take another step the she-cat Bracken was talking to earlier stopped them. Her fur was golden, slightly lighter than Bracken's, and she had white-tipped ears. Unlike most of the alley cats, her pelt was neatly groomed, without any traces of alley cat on them. But of course the stench was there, but light.

"Wait!" She mewed, and the group stopped for a moment. They all turned to her, confused and slightly annoyed. Out of the corner of her eye, Echopaw saw Bracken shoot a subtle apologetic look at the golden she-cat. "Um, well..." She looked at the ground awkwardly. "I was thinking of joining you guys?"

"No," All of them replied coldly, and even Bracken agreed. He turned to her, murmuring, "I'm sorry, Lily, but you can't come. It's too dangerous."

 **WHAT'S WITH ALL OF THE FLOWER NAMES, ME?!**

"But you said that nothing would break us apart," Lily protested softly. **Wow, just staying one night and Bracken's got a girlfriend. How nice...so much for the BrackenxMarshmallows story.**

 _Wait, you paired me up with MARSHMALLOWS?! Seriously?_

 **Well I wanted to!**

 _Sorry author, but you have to get behind that fourth wall now. Out you go, before you spoil anything!_ **But-** _Just GO!_ **Fineeee. But I may come back in a bit~**

Silence. Bracken looked ashamed, and the rest of the group-including our current couple-just was confused and just _a little_ annoyed. The tawny-furred cat finally answered. "Lily, I don't want you to come because you're going to get hurt. It's because..." Bracken sighed, shooting an embarrassed glance at his friends, "I love you."

The words _I love you_ echoed in the silence, or it could be just Echopaw. The she-cat named Lily looked like she was going to tear up. "I love you too, Bracken," she mewed, and then the tears came out. She sobbed into the tawny-furred tom's shoulder, and their tails twined for a second. "I'll wait for you to come back," she whispered, voice hitching from tears. As Bracken pulled away, his eyes were red from crying too (but he'll never admit it).

"I know you will," Bracken purred, "and just remember one thing." Lily looked up at Bracken in surprise. His paw touched her chest. "I will always be in here."

Lily managed a thin, weak smile, but the tears were still there. The two gently touched noses for a moment, and Bracken walked back to the group. They were about to say their _final_ goodbye, but a familiar voice cut in,

"STOP!" Everyone turned to look at the certain cat that yowled that-surprisingly, Breezepaw. "I get it and all, but please, we _really_ need to get going by now. And please, you know there are people reading this; we don't want too much angst!"

The cats grumbled, annoyed at Breezepaw's hypocrisy, but ultimately agreed. **OH COME ON, BREEZEPAW! YOU OF ALL CATS HAD TO RUIN THE MOMENT!** _Just stop, we need to get going. And_ _how_ _did you even get out of the fourth wall?_

 **Let's just say it's a fangirl thing.**

After five more minutes of sobbing, I love yous, and goodbyes, the group finally managed to pull Bracken and Lily apart from each other. The tawny-colored tom looked already downcast, and they _just_ got out of the gate to the dumpster. Feeling ashamed, Echopaw walked closer to her brother. "I'm sorry, Bracken," she mewed apologetically.

Bracken looked into Echopaw's eyes, his eyes still sad and miserable. "I forgive you. I guess sometimes love doesn't always come back to everyone."

He then turned away his head again, sulking. _Breezepaw, why did you have to spoil the moment in the first place?_

 _Misery. Guilt. Shame. That was all he felt. And with looks of hate from his friends, he knew his act was unforgivable. It was a disgrace. The sky turned dark, all light gone. Gray, thunderous clouds were everywhere, and for some reason he couldn't escape. It started to slowly suffocate him, inside. No. He never should have done that. The river, once calm, was now churning violently, with the wind screaming. Why did he do that?! The cat turned to look at his friends' icy grimaces, but he couldn't stand to look at Bracken's. Oh no, Bracken's was even worse. The hate and vile in his friend's brother was unlike any imaginable thing anyone could come up with._

 _"YOU!" Bracken screeched. "You caused this! I HATE YOU!"_

 _The wind screamed louder after every menacing word was thrown at him, the clouds became even more violent and gray, and on top of all of that, the prairie grass was turned into black, crumbled, molten rock. He let everyone down. Again. Just like his parents..._

 _After the word "parents" was in his thoughts, that horrible memory occurred again. No! He was cheerfully skipping along IceClan's border, into the half-frozen meadow at dawn, his parents not far behind him. The cat was the happiest one ever, and he felt so lucky. After a few minutes of dancing and jumping up and down in the icy yet soft green grass. Wait, something was different. Where was his parents? Looking frantically, he saw them fighting against three of those Dark Warriors the Clan was talking about. He ran to his parents immediately. When his mother saw him, she mewed, "No, Breezekit! Don't come closer!" However, before she could say anymore, that lead Dark Warrior-he looked a lot like the lead guard Chieftain-pounced on her and sliced her throat. The pain and loss hit Breezekit immediately. "NO!" He sobbed._

 _His father wasn't going well against the Dark Warriors. In another minute the opponents jumped on top of him all at once and scratched and bit him. When they jumped off of him, Breezekit looked in horror to see his father coated in blood, scratches everywhere, and eyes closed. Then, with hungry eyes, the Dark Warriors turned to face the now-vulnerable kit, who was sobbing with grief. They began to chant,_

 _"Hiibir te aaray! Hiibir cuun or'trikar! Werde teh uvete afar, olaror tome at bear ibic scar!" Their claws turned deadly purple, with purple and black smoke billowing from their dangerous talons. The Dark Warrior that looked like Chieftain pinned him down, claws raised._ No, I'm going to die right now, _he thought, closing his eyes. Hopefully the pain would be quick. Hot tears escaped his cheeks. It's all gone._

 _However, the Dark Warrior just scratched him in the ear, slowly and painfully. The young kit yowled in pain, his ear felt like it was on fire, and the wound was like no other. When Chieftain finally stopped, the pain was still there. It wasn't dulled, and he felt it everywhere. The Dark Warriors just snickered at Breezekit and ran away._

 _The kit ran frantically to his parents. "Mom! Dad!" He cried, trying to wake them up. No, they were asleep forever, just like the elders told him every time they had a burial ceremony. But through the pain he heard a new word for it: Death._

 _He sobbed and cried, and his parents yet didn't respond to his touch, their faces expressionless._

 _Breezepaw? Breezepaw?_

 _Voices came from everywhere, and he couldn't stop it. "Bring my parents back!" He screamed, but the world turned black before he could say another word._

"Breezepaw?! BREEZEPAW!"

Breezepaw was jolted into wakefulness, yowling, "Get off of me, you savages! GIVE ME BACK MY PARENTS!" The brown tabby tom glared angrily, but when his vision cleared all he saw was his worried friends surrounding him.

They all looked concerned, and they nodded in unison, saying, "We need to talk."

 **Okay, that's it for this chapter! I was tempted to break through the fourth wall during Breezepaw's vision, but oh well. And there was going to be A LOT more, since I had so much ideas at the time-it would be around twice as much as this chapter has currently. Looks like we got a new couple, huh? Lily wasn't even supposed to be in this story in the first place, but I just went with the flow. Anyway, see you all in the next chapter (I hope soon)!**


	18. It All Ends

"The last thing I saw before I woke up was my dead parents."

Breezepaw was hunched over, struggling to stifle a sob while Echopaw pressed herself against him gently, doing her absolute best to calm her friend down. Rose made a sad, shocked sound, and Bracken's eyes looked dull and downcast. Crickets chirped awkwardly nearby, as if the tension and sadness of the vision was known to everyone. Even the moon looked dimmer than usual.

"I'm so sorry, Breezepaw." The voice belonged to-surprisingly-Rose. "If I lost my parents, I would probably be at a loss right now."

Bracken nodded his agreement. "Breezepaw, if you ever need to talk, I'll be there."

The tabby tom looked at his friends with his eyes showing more thanks than he ever could say in words. Echopaw continued to whisper something in his ears, and Breezepaw's eyes lit up slightly. Bracken and Rose were confused by how quickly Breezepaw was recovering from this. If they were in his situation, it would take them _years._

"Really?" The formerly sad tom was getting happier by the minute, a smile slowly creeping up on his face. The two cats purred with delight. Until a familiar voice cut in.

"Guys, not to interrupt or anything, but can you just _please_ tell us what is going on?" Rose inquired, her tone half annoyed and half curious. Bracken's face showed likewise.

Echopaw looked up and showed a mischievous grin. "Not likely," she meowed with a smirk.

"It's time to attack!" Darkness stormed around his chamber, looking at the nearly indestructible wall in front of it. He snickered at the big dent. _And those Spirits of Knowledge thought that it was "indestructible..."_

"Chieftain!" He shouted. A few minutes later, the lead guard came in running as fast as he could-and faceplanted straight into the spirit. Chieftain yowled with pain as he made contact with Darkness. He instantly pulled back, his formerly groomed face now replaced with raw, red skin. "Y-yes, my lord?" His voice trembled with every word.

"Organize our Dark Warriors and put them into groups," Darkness ordered. "Announce to them that we're going to initiate Battle Plan _B."_

Chieftain gasped with shock. Battle Plan _B?!_

"Yes, Battle Plan B," Darkness snarked in an almost mockingly tone. "What else would I say related to that? Now go, before I have you sent to the Torture Room."

Chieftain sprinted out of the room as if his life depended it, because his life _did_ depend on it. The evil spirit cackled with glee. "Finally, we can get out of here!"

A groan caught Darkness off guard. Echo. He let out a mental slap of annoyance. _What am I supposed to do with her?_ Suddenly, a brilliantly evil idea sparked inside the spirit's head. "Yes, yes!" He exclaimed with glee. _"Perfect."_

Turning toward the Peacemaker, he announced, "Well, Echo, looks like you're going for a ride."

"I guess this is goodbye," Echopaw stated sadly to Rose. The kittypet was about to return back to her Twoleg home, and none of the cats were too happy to see the cheerful ginger cat go.

"I guess so," Rose meowed blandly, her face expressionless but her voice hinting a twinge of sadness. "Just...stay alive, okay? I want my best friend to visit again."

Echopaw, Breezepaw, and Bracken bid their farewells to the friendly kittypet and set off into the horizon, guided by a faint trail of water from the River of Echoes. It was around late noon after they departed from Twolegplace at last, with directions to avoid Moonpaw's obvious trap from the hills. Little did they know that Darkness was onto them.

At night, Echopaw laid nearby the River of Echoes with her friends, but instead of talking and laughing Breezepaw and Bracken both had odd expressions on their faces.

Bracken frowned. "I can't believe how far we've come."

Echopaw and Breezepaw both agreed, but the overwhelming silence was too much for them. It was just way too quiet. Even the River of Echoes barely to be heard, its echoes the faintest of whispers.

The moon trembled in the clouds, a small spark of light reminding everyone that it was still in existence. No sounds were made from any animals, nor did any owls or crickets chirp.

"Something's not right," Echopaw meowed suspiciously. The trio's fear-scents we're starting to get the best of them.

"Whatever it is, I have a bad feeling about this," Breezepaw mumbled fearfully.

Bracken looked thoughtful for a minute. "I say we should hide in the bushes. This seems like a dark force is approaching."

The tawny-colored tom looked at the Clan cats for any complaints, but there was none. Following Bracken's lead, Echopaw and Breezepaw jumped quickly into the nearest clump of bushes in the forest.

For many hours the questing cats didn't move or make a sound, even barely breathing. It seemed as eyes were stalking their presence, looking deep into their souls.

Bracken whispered warily a few minutes later, "I got a cramp, and I'm thirsty. I'll be right back." Echopaw nodded to her brother, which then crouched silently through the bushes.

However, as the minutes passed, the more Echopaw's fear grew. Bracken should have returned awhile ago. Before she could think anymore, a screech nearby snapped her back to reality.

Turning, she saw the Peacemaker Echo lying pitifully on the ground. _Wait...how is that even possible? Even the Peacemakers aren't immortal!_

"Run, Echopaw," the Peacemaker rasped weakly. "Before _he_ catches you."

Echopaw ignored Echo's advice and was moved with pity by the old cat. But before she could move to help, a cold, hard paw gripped her shoulder tightly. Turning slowly, she saw a shape as black as night smiling menacingly at them, yellow eyes piercing a hole in her heart.

"Surprise, Echo."

Echopaw, Breezepaw, and a traumatized Bracken woke up to see black rock surrounding them and lava the only thing that was illuminating the desolate area.

"W-where are we?" Bracken trembled with fear, his pelt coated with frost-and Echopaw noticed something different: a scratch in the form of a teardrop was on his hind left leg. What was even more strange of Bracken's wound was that it was _black. How could that even happen?_ she wondered.

Two unfamiliar scents stung her nose, and turning left, she saw two of Darkness' guards approaching them, one wearing more fancier clothing than the other. Something strangely echoed in her mind, saying _Chieftain._ So the one that looked like they had the higher status was called Chieftain.

"Come," Chieftain spoke in poor Cat. "Master waiting for you."

The three young cats followed obligingly, but before they exited the narrow hallway, Echopaw stopped the high-ranked guard. "Can you just tell us where we are?"

The lower-ranked guard growled with irritation, but Chieftain stopped him, saying, "You in underworld."

Echopaw's eyes widened. The _Underworld?_ She heard stories about the Underworld before she was exiled from the Tribe, that no mortal was allowed to pass. Were the stories wrong?

As they were led to what she heard from the guards-"Meeting Room"-she noticed something interesting. To the right of the rocky walls were strange banners. When Echopaw looked closer at the embroidery, she gasped: it was stories from the past _and_ the future. It showed creation of the world, the story of the prophecy of the Dark Echo, and Darkness' rise to power. Another many banners showed her, Breezepaw, and Moonpaw sneaking out of camp, falling in love with Breezepaw, training with Snowstar, seeing her long-lost brother and The Tribe of Infinite Knowledge, the terrible visions they had, Rose, Moonpaw possessed, and seeing Blaze and the alley cats.

One that was recently completed was her, Breezepaw, and Bracken being captured by Darkness and his guards. Strangely, some parts of the futuristic banners were not completed. What she saw before they finished passing by the great, massive amounts of banners was their warrior ceremony, them staring in shock and horror as some object was tossed in the lava, with Darkness and Traya present. _What could that possibly mean?_ She thought. There were so many questions and no answers that were given.

When they were finally guided by the guards to the Meeting Room, all three of them gasped at its enormity. Even more banners were in Black Sun dialect that promoted joining the Black Sun and Darkness' triumph over good. Black glass with a slight purple haze protected a fancy-looking chest in the front, with Darkness in front of the glass and Moonpaw-er, Traya-standing triumphantly next to Darkness.

"Ah, Echo...and company! We finally meet face-to-face. Though, for my mortal enemy, you're much...smaller than I expected," the dark lord exclaimed. "However, it should be Echo _paw_ now, right?" He laughed maniacally.

Anger began bubbling inside Echopaw, and Bracken growled angrily, yowling, "Leave my sister alone!"

Darkness' spirit, cat-like head whipped around and he smiled evilly. "Bracken," he stated eerily calmly, "you are quite brave to join your sister to defeat someone like _me."_ When the tawny-colored tom gasped in horror, Darkness continued, "Yes, I know everything about you. You're now about seven moons old, you're obviously a _tom,"_ he laughed as Bracken looked down, embarrassed, "You still have a terrible fear of...oh, this is funny. FALLEN LEAVES?!" He and the others began cackling with laughter. It was even worse than Blaze's and his alley cats' rowdiness.

"But of course, not the cat," Darkness meowed when the laughing died down a little. "This is our era! He's been long gone. Now, your most embarrassing secret is...you have a crush on Moonpaw?!" The evil cats continued cackling, and Bracken crouched low, as to pretend he was invisible. Instead of laughing with the others, Echopaw and Breezepaw both gasped with shock and stared at each other with an expression, _Did you know about this?_ They both obviously didn't, since they gave each other the same look.

"Okay, laughing party's over," Darkness growled, but the guards kept on laughing hysterically. "I said...ENOUGH LAUGHING!" The spirit screeched loudly, the sound deafening. The guards stopped instantly, eyes downcast and ashamed.

"Now, for Breezepaw," Darkness meowed crisply. "You just turned seven moons today, so happy birthday. You're a tom too, by your name, you're obviously in love with Echo, blah blah blah. This one's _boring._ Bracken is so much more interesting." The dark spirit gave itself an eye roll.

"And now, for my favorite part: _Echo!"_ he exclaimed. "Here's a fact: Twenty other cats who were named Echo tried to stop me, but of course-they didn't! And I know more about you than your friends or anyone else. Why? We'll get to that part later, angst is more interesting. You're a she-cat, you're also nearly seven moons old because you and Bracken are twins." Echopaw's eyes lit up with shock. She just thought that Bracken was her brother from another litter.

"And you are the twenty-first echo to try to stop me, and long ago Flame swore to me that I would be defeated at the sound of the twenty-first echo, but let's go against the odds! You're obviously different from the others, because I have no intention of killing you. The reason why? It's the same reason as how I know _everything_ about you. You're also in love with Breezepaw- _no surprise there-_ and you are the actual promised echo in the prophecy, so you're supposed to be omnipotent, which I doubt," Darkness stated. "And now for the reason why!" The spirit cackled.

"I...am...your father."

The immense shock for Echopaw was too great. She fell backwards and her vision got clouded with black. The last thing she could hear was distant murmurs.

 _"Echo...Echo..." A soft voice trailed across her ears, with a pleasant breeze tickling her sides. Her eyes slowly opened to see the she-cat she knew and loved. "Mother!" Echopaw meowed, bursting into tears of joy. Her mother wrapped her tail around her protectively as Echopaw let out all of her sorrows, the pain that she resisted for so long was finally free. When she finished, she looked up at her mother, asking, "Mother, is Darkness really my father?"_

 _The word_ Darkness _echoed across the starlit clearing, and everything turned to an apocalyptic time for a few seconds before the world turned back to a peaceful state. "Shh!" Her mother gently scolded. "Don't say that cursed name in this realm."_

 _Echopaw nodded solemnly. "But please tell me...is he my father?"_

 _Her mother hesitated for a few minutes before admitting, "Yes._ He _is your father."_

 _She gasped. "But why?"_

 _Her mother sighed. "Before you wake up to the waking world, I must tell you something. Have a seat," she meowed, motioning to the soft mossbed next to a willow tree. When the two got situated, her mother began to tell her tale. "Echo, I hate to break this to you...but I'm not your mother."_

 _Echopaw gasped with shock, but then it became anger. "So you were lying to me this entire time?!" She demanded. "Who is my mother, then?"_

 _"You, Echo, are special. You're literally the child of the light and the dark. But being that gives you a huge responsibility, and whatever side you take could turn the tide of a_ war." _Echopaw continued listening to the she-cat in awe. "I may not be your mother, but I am your mother's sister. When you and Bracken were born, she told me to take both of you to a place far from Darkness and her, so I took you both back to the Tribe."_

 _Echopaw interrupted her aunt's story, asking, "Who is the light? Why were we thrown out?"_

 _"Your mother has actually been close to you all along. She has been guiding you every step of the journey. Don't be mad at her for not telling you, but your mother is Snowstar." Before Echopaw could interrupt her again with more questions, her aunt continued quickly. "When I brought home you and Bracken, my mate, Shadow, thought that you two were my kits, and I lied to the Tribe that you two were my kits. Of course, River received a telling from our ancestors that you would play a key part in the possibility of our own destruction, so Boulder kicked us out and we were labeled outcasts. And you know the rest."_

 _Echopaw was shocked. All of this information in one day?_ Hopefully it will all turn out to be a dream, _she thought._

 _"Goodbye, Echo," Leaf meowed softly. "Remember to fulfill the prophecy."_

 _Echopaw nodded as she woke up into consciousness._

Echopaw gasped in air as she saw her friends looking with concern in her field of vision. "Help her up," Darkness ordered. "She's already been through a lot."

The guards roughly pushed her up so she was standing. The anger and spite then rushed to her once again. "You monster!" She spat. "What do you want with us?"

"Ah," the dark lord meowed, "what I want? For you to join us."

"Never," Echopaw snapped automatically, fur bristling with anger.

"Hmm...if you're going to put it that way..." Darkness motioned to Moonpaw and she ran down a dark corridor. A minute later she returned with a familiar-looking kit in her jaws. "Tabi," Echopaw breathed softly. Moonpaw roughly threw the innocent tortoiseshell kit, but before Tabi hit the ground Breezepaw caught her and set her down gently.

"You're not going to win, Darkness," Echopaw meowed. "We're more powerful than you could ever imagine." Breezepaw and Bracken stood beside her defiantly.

"You're so sure," it sneered. "Come, Traya." Moonpaw stepped forward to stand beside the spirit.

"Moonpaw?!" Breezepaw cried in shock. "You _betrayed_ us!"

"My name isn't Moonpaw, it's _Traya,"_ Moonpaw spoke in a possessed tone. "And prepare to suffer."

"Moonpaw, snap out of it!" Echopaw begged. "You're stronger than she is!"

Darkness floated closer to her. "Echo, you're so mistaken. Your friend can't hear you. Her life force is trapped in a this box," he growled, gesturing to a detailed iron chest, "and don't worry. We will return her _after_ we finish our conquest."

"Now," he continued. "To show you to never stand in our way..." The spirit lashed his tail and the guards grabbed them, and the lead guard grabbed Tabi, who was cowering helplessly in fear behind them.

"No!" Echopaw protested, but the guards that held her attatched her to some chains to watch.

A lava pool was nearby, and the kit mewled and pleaded fearfully. "Help me!" She wailed. Her tortoiseshell body shivered violently.

Echopaw froze for a moment. _Just like the vision...Tabi was going to die._

Bracken growled in protest in an attempt to break the restricting barrier, but it was no use. It was seemingly indestructible.

"Let...her...go!" Breezepaw grunted, straining against the chains.

"Maybe...not," Darkness laughed. "Say goodbye to your friend."

 _The Black Sun is so cruel that they would go to lengths to kill innocent kits._ A sick feeling went up Echopaw's throat.

The guard which Darkness called "Chieftain" earlier waited a few seconds, making the fact that Tabi was going to die even worse. After an eternity his jaws began to part, and he began to let go of Tabi's scruff.

The feeling got worse and worse, and Echopaw tried to look away but the guards forced her to watch. _I wish I could help her,_ Echo thought miserably. _Rose will never find a chance to see her niece again._

Chieftain dropped the poor, innocent kit and she wailed with pain as the flames of fire began to scorch her pretty tortoiseshell fur. Tears began running down Echopaw's face and she started to sob.

The lava levels grew higher and Tabi gasped with pain. Her charred body began to slowly slip into the lava. "Help me," she rasped, and she took her final breath as the light died from her eyes.

Tabi was gone.

"No!" Echopaw cried miserably, and let out a loud yowl of sorrow. Breezepaw and Bracken bowed their heads. _You will never be forgotten, Tabi,_ she thought. More tears escaped from her eyes and ran down her face.

Darkness laughed as if the whole thing was a game, or it was _fun._ Anger slowly began replacing Echopaw's sorrow. "You will pay for that," she hissed angrily.

"Oh, I won't," he meowed. " _Breezepaw_ will be experiencing the same pain as Tabi...tomorrow. And of course we need one special guest to watch! Let's see-you!" He cackled. Breezepaw looked at her with horror. _Of course Darkness would pick me of all cats to watch him die,_ Echopaw thought sulkily.

"Now, Chieftain," he ordered, "put them in the dungeon. Give them some food, though-they went through all of that just to pay a visit."

Chieftain and five other guards herded the remaining cats into a desolate, dark hole and threw them in. Echopaw grunted in pain after falling onto a sharp rock, and Breezepaw quickly rushed to her aid.

" _Haili cetare gar stay_ ," Chieftain mocked, and the guards laughed as they left the cell, locking it behind them.

A few minutes passed before Bracken asked, "What do we do now?" Nobody answered the question. It was hopeless: Tabi was dead, Moonpaw possessed, and now Breezepaw was going to suffer the same fate as Tabi the next day.

Breezepaw licked Echopaw's cheek affectionately. "We'll find a way," he mewed encouragingly. "But now we should rest and spend some time with each other...before tomorrow comes." She saw the tabby tom shudder.

Before she went to sleep, she heard Tabi's faint voice ringing in her ear, repeatedly saying, _I am not dead, Echo. You made me more alive than I ever felt._

Echopaw's eyes widened as she looked to the iron-like bars stood the young kit. Tabi.

 **lmao I am terrible at updating on all of my accounts so I'm really sorry :(**


	19. Revelation, part 1

**_Timeline: 1,000+ years ago_**

 _Flame and Echo laughed heartily, the two Peacemakers enjoying their presence. Flame relished the rare one-on-one time the two of them got to have, now because of the war they had to fight the Dark Warriors that were tainted by Darkness._

 _Echo looked thoughtful for a moment. "When the war ends, what would you do then with your life?"_

 _Flame grinned. "Well, I would start a family."_

 _His fellow Peacemaker smirked. "And with who?"_

 _The ginger tom's eyes widened and warmth spread to his cheeks. "Echo, I'm not sure-"_

 _Echo continued to laugh. "Just say, mousebrain," she teased affectionately._

 _"Fine," he grumbled._ I should have said something else in the first place, _Flame thought to himself. "With the she-cat I love."_

 _The black she-cat continued to smirk. "And what's her name?"_

 _Flame tried to change the subject out of his own nervousness. "Why ask me, Echo? Can't I know about what_ your _plans are?"_

 _"Nice try, Flame." Deep purple eyes met with a vibrant green. "Don't worry, I won't tease you about it. And," she licked her paw casually, "I will tell you my plans after you tell yours."_

 _Flame sighed. The moment of truth. He opened his mouth to say, "Echo, it's-"_

 _A strong battle cry interrupted their conversation, and the two Peacemakers sprang into action._

 ** _Timeline: 2 days later..._**

 _"You actually know where we're going, Flame?" Echo asked teasingly._

 _Flame rolled his eyes. "Of course, Echo," he replied with an edge to his tone. "If I wasn't I wouldn't have been leading our patrol."_

 _The purple-eyed she-cat stopped him, pulling herself so close her face almost touched his. Flame swallowed nervously, praying to StarClan that he wasn't blushing. "You_ always _lead the patrols, silly," Echo smirked, licking his nose affectionately._

 _Flame shook his head to return to the task at hand. "Uh...we should get going," he meowed._

 _Although his best friend looked-surprisingly-a little disappointed, she nodded and mewed, "Lead the way, Flamey," using his old pet name he didn't like. Flame rolled his eyes with annoyance and Echo laughed, her voice light and melodious._

 _Both Peacemakers continued to travel for hours through the Barren Lands, as Flame explained to a Echo as they kept on walking. His plan was to recon the place for any sight of where Darkness was hiding underground. They would sleep in a cave tonight and travel back to camp in the morning._

 _As the sun was dipping west in the sky, a tired Echo suggested, "We should take a break for a minute." Flame complied and sat down with his companion, both panting with a lack of hydration._

 _There was barely any water sources in the Barren Lands. Due to many battles and fires the resources were deprived, and now there was the occasional plant, patch of water, or wet cave that gave hope that it could possibly recover after everything that happened. Luckily, Flame had sent a patrol to check things out and they managed to find a cave with a small stream inside of it. And according to the patrol, they were on the right track._

 _Flame realized that Echo was ready to go and waiting for him. "You ready, slowpoke?" She smiled._

 _Flame grinned. "As always."_

 _By the time the Peacemakers have reached the cave, the sun had set at least an hour ago and both of them were parched. "Need...water," Flame rasped, and Echo nodded desperately._

 _Searching for the stream was surprisingly not that difficult. After a minute Echo found the source and the two drank thirstily for a while._

 _Exhausted, Flame and Echo flopped onto the hard ground at one corner of the cave. Clouds covered the night sky and Flame could barely even see the moon that soothed him every night. Turning over to Echo he realized she was shivering from the strong breezes._ _Something changed in his boldness that night, because he walked up to her, his eyes asking if it was okay. Her glowing purple eyes let their usual guard down and Flame lay down next to her, cuddling her from the cold._

 _"...Echo?" Flame asked, a few minutes later, but as he looked down at the beautiful black she-cat he loved, her eyes were closed and her breathing steady with her head leaning on his chest. Flame purred with happiness, meowing softly, "Good night, Echo."_

 _Darkness stared at his long-time enemies through the all-seeing cauldron with a bitterness that occurred too much often: resentment. He was jealous he couldn't have any of that love, no. He would take it all away._

 _The spirit cackled. "Yes, yes!" He exclaimed. "I should possess one of them, and the war shall be mine! Isn't that a great idea, my young apprentice?"_

 _A young mortal kit, not yet turned into a spirit through the Ceremony, stood up next to him confidently and squeaked, "Yes, Darkness!"_

 _Darkness liked the young kit's attitude._ Yes, she would make a fine spirit, _he thought smugly. "Young kit, I believe you will make the best apprentice out of your group. But now we need to give you a name," he added. Both him and the kit looked thoughtful. Suddenly, an idea sparked inside his head. "Of course!" He cheered. "I shall name you..."_

 _"Traya."_

 _The young kit now called Traya cheered for a few minutes with him and stopped immediately when ordered. "Hmm...I predict you shall make a fine spirit," Darkness observed. "We shall host the ceremony as soon as I finish this mission. Traya, stay here until I come back."_

 _Traya nodded, now using the required standardized sentence: "Yes, my lord."_

 _Darkness left the underground corridor yowling, "Chieftain!"_

 _A young Dark Warrior, barely even the age of a standard apprentice, ran up to him. "Yes, Master?"_

 _"Alert all of our Dark Warriors to prepare for battle the next morning._ I _have to go somewhere: Code 7," Darkness explained._

 _Chieftain's eyes widened and nodded, leaving the spirit by himself. Darkness closed his eyes and pictured the destination. A minute later, all was dark until he saw the familiar sight of a cave._ Pretty smart for being my enemies, _the spirit thought._

 _The stars began to dim as he passed by. Anything that had been making noise before stopped completely, including the flow of the stream and the occasional drips of water._

 _He approached the two sleeping Peacemakers, his mortal enemies. Darkness laughed inwardly. This would be too easy! Now, which one to pick? The spirit thought for a minute. An idea came to mind._ Yes, yes! _The spirit congratulated himself._ It will be the best choice.

 _Darkness closed his eyes and began to focus. The spirit then traveled right to Echo's brain and invaded her dreams. It was an interesting one, actually. Where there was peace and he was destroyed._ Ha! As it that would ever happen, _he thought smugly. The evil lord then plagued Echo's dream, putting her through torment and losing the cats she cared about most. Darkness smiled a smug, evil grin._

 _When the demons were finished and Echo laid in her dreamscape sobbing, Darkness knew this was the time to strike. He plunged next to her, saying, "Hello, Echo. Don't worry, I'm just borrowing you for a few...centuries." He crushed dream-Echo and everything went dark for a second._

 _When Darkness opened his eyes once more, he looked down at his paws-no longer spirit-like, but now real. He looked to the other Peacemaker, Flame, who was still sleeping soundly. "Here's a parting gift for you, Flame," he spat, and nicked his right ear with one of his claws. Before he could see Flame's reaction he closed his eyes and began to teleport._

 _Flame woke up with a gasp of pain, his ear feeling like it was on fire. He looked at the ground to see a pool of blood. Alarm sank through him, eyes wide with panic._ Echo was gone, and there was a pool of blood...

 _He felt his right ear and winced at his paw's touch. It felt odd, as if there was a "v" cutting off the topmost part of it. As Flame checked his reflection in the stream, he was blown away with shock. The topmost part of his right ear was cut, now the hole resembling a "v." Dried blood was crusted over the wound._ So that's where it came from, _Flame thought._

 _Now for his next problem: Echo. Suddenly, the Peacemaker knew what to do. He sat next to the pool of blood, now drying off, and closed his eyes in focus._

 _The sun went backwards in time to last night. Flame watched him and Echo sleeping next to each other. A dark figure approached him and his fellow Peacemaker, and Flame's blood turned to ice. He knew who it was: Darkness._

 _The evil spirit towered over them and began to close his eyes, traveling into Echo's head. By this time Flame had enough. He knew what Darkness was doing and what he did. Flame broke off his concentration and he went back to the present._

 _"No..." he gasped, emotional pain crawling its way through his heart. "Echo's-"_

 _"Gone?" A sinister voice echoed at the front of the isolated cave. "You're very much correct, Flame. Echo_ is _gone."_

 _The anger and emotional pain got to the Peacemaker before his common sense. With a roar, he yowled, "No, she's not!" and attempted to claw Darkness._

 _Two heartbeats later, he felt as if he became a statue. Flame opened his eyes warily, and realized his paw was just inches away from tearing out Echo's face. Possessed by Darkness. His eyes nearly popped out of his sockets._

 _He almost killed the she-cat he loved; his other half, his best friend, his crush, his ally, his fellow Peacemaker._

 _Flame succumbed to Darkness and fell down to Echo's paws after the spirit let go of its invisible grip on him._

 _"I will come back, Flame," Echo-now Darkness-growled threateningly. "And prepare for the worst."_

 _ **Timeline: 2 years later after the previous event**_

 _"No!"_

 _The memories continued to flash back in Flame's eyes. Right now, his forces were deteriorating and dwindling every day. Echo was still possessed, and Darkness Echo had forced him to watch the spirit's kit-like "apprentice" and Darkness himself kill his father, who was serving as his second-in-command in the army. He knew he had to do something. If they didn't do something, in the next moon or two Darkness would destroy the remaining forces that were standing against him._

 _What could he do to stop this?_

 _For around a quarter moon Flame thought on a tactic that would turn the war-or at least temporarily end it. On the day the quarter moon ended, at night Flame was eating and the idea hit him: The Spirits of Knowledge._

 _The Spirits of Knowledge lived on the periphery of the Existing World, deep in the Cave of Shadows. They knew exactly what was stored in the future and how the world would end. They knew_ everything. _Luckily for him, the Spirits of Knowledge were only a day's walk from their temporary camp._

 _The next day, Flame told his friend to let the army know that he was gone for the day and that the next cat in charge would be in control for the time he was gone._

 _Flame traveled through the normal landscapes first: hills, mountains, and forests, but near the end the territory suddenly changed to a rocky emerald-green land._

 _The Peacemaker approached the sacred cave and yowled three times at the entrance to let the Spirits know he was there. The Spirits' organizer, Kat, led him to the center of the complex tunnels: a blue and green-like crystal inside where the top was infinite and couldn't be seen._

 _A few minutes later, lightning zapped, fire burned, water rushed, earth crumbled and ice grew and the five Spirits of Knowledge appeared._

 _"What do you need?" All of the Spirits asked at once._

 _Flame stepped forward and cleared his throat politely. "I need guidance on how to get Darkness out of my friend. You see, she got possessed and-" The Peacemaker frowned. "You already know all of this, don't you?"_

 _The Spirits nodded sagely, and the Lightning Spirit stood on its pedestal. "We know of this problem and have solved it before. Since we all know the solution, we don't have to discuss this."_

 _The Fire Spirit then stood up after the Lightning Spirit took a seat. "In order for you to bring back peace, you must exile your friend."_

 _"E-exile?" Flame asked, shocked. "Isn't that a little harsh?"_

 _"Flame, your friend is possessed by a very dangerous enemy," the Ice Spirit explained carefully._

 _"Yes," the Water Spirit agreed, continuing, "that is why the most important thing to do_ without _killing your friend would be exile, as I know you would never accept." The Earth Spirit's eyes gleamed with amusement._

 _Flame's mind literally turned upside-down. He didn't know what to do. If he exiled his friend, he would probably never be able to see her again, but if he chose not to, the world would end pretty quickly._

 _"I understand this is a tough decision for you," the Earth Spirit sympathized. "We will let you stay for the night, but you must have your absolute decision by tomorrow."_

 _The ginger tom nodded. "Thank you. I agree with these terms."_

 _The Spirits of Knowledge all nodded in reply. "This meeting is hereby adjourned until the morning," they all said in unison, and the five elements surrounded them and they all disappeared._

"Flame...Flame..." The familiar gentle, melodious voice whispered softly in his ear. His ears twitched but his eyes remained firmly shut.

" _FLAME!"_

The Peacemaker jolted awake instantly, and he frantically looked around for what could have possibly been the source of the noise. Flame narrowed his eyes at the stifled laughs coming behind him and hissed, "Seriously, Echo?"

The melodious voice continued to fill his ears, penetrating him, until he couldn't resist and his frown turned into a half-hearted smile. Before his happiness of seeing Echo had a chance to spread, it became overcome with guilt and reminders. "Echo, I-"

 _I love you. I always had. Echo, I had no intention of getting you hurt. And Darkness got me before I even had the chance to save you. Please, Echo, forgive me. I want to have a future with you, Echo, far beyond this raging war and when we can have a family of our own. I want to say so much to you but I just can't get my mouth to say the words. Echo, you are the most beautiful, loyal, and determined she-cat I have ever met, and I'm obliged to being your best friend. Please, I'm begging you, forgive me..._

Flame's pleading eyes obviously told much more than he wanted to say, and he didn't even realize that the words he had thought-

He had said _aloud._

As he stared tentatively at his best friend, warily waiting for her reaction, her eyes widened and tears ran down her face. Echo gave him the loving, cheeky smile he always loved and replied,

"I love you too, Flame."

The two Peacemakers held each other for the longest time since forever, and their noses touched and their tails twined.

After a while, Echo pulled away from Flame's warm touch and meowed with a sudden solemn face,

"Flame, you know that you're not in a dream to just make love confessions."

His vibrant green eyes were filled with understanding and...also dismay. Flame didn't know which emotion he felt anymore. He didn't feel empty, but he didn't feel full _or_ normal either. It was all clouded and messed up. "I know," he mewed softly, his tone seeming odd on his tongue. For a minute the Peacemaker panicked. "Echo, you will remember this...right?"

Some warmth returned to the dark she-cat's eyes and they told him more than she could ever say.

"I have come to you in a dream to tell you a prophecy. A prophecy that you must pass down from generation to generation, to every cat you see and know. Warn them of this prophecy, but when the One comes, no cat can explain except the cat who leads the frozen Clan."

Flame nodded, comprehending Echo's prophetic yet ambiguous words.

"The prophecy is, _'To bring peace and harmony, find the breeze and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo.'"_

The tom understood everything except for the prophecy. There were plenty of breezes, and the moon shone every night-how could this bring peace and harmony? However, the words _Dark Echo_ repeated in his head, over and over again, until he gasped with realization. "I-is the Dark Echo-"

"Yes. _He_ is."

Flame's dream began to fade, and he bade his fellow Peacemaker a farewell with a final twine of their tails.

 _The next day, Flame was ready. He tossed and turned half the night on what was the best decision and what was best his friend. Despite feeling ready, last night Echo appeared to him in a vision explaining to him about a strange "Dark Echo" prophecy. He shook his head._ You can think about that later, Flame, _he told himself._

 _When he was led by Kat into the Meeting Room, the Spirits were already there in their positions. Flame walked to the center, dipped his head respectfully, and the meeting began._

 _"Flame, Peacemaker of the Light, your case has been granted an extra day of debating and you are required to now share your answer," the Earth Spirit explained. "What is your response?"_

 _Flame took a deep breath, stepped forward, and proclaimed,_

 _"I have decided that exiling Echo is the only possible way."_

 _A few days later, Flame walked to the grassy clearing in which he had asked Darkness to negotiate a peace treaty. The spirit had accepted, falling straight into his and the Spirits' trap._

 _He waited anxiously for around an hour, tail swishing with anticipation and fear. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Echo-possessed still-came to the meeting place. "Ha!" Darkness exclaimed triumphantly as he sat across from him. "Already surrendering? Of course, I'm getting the upper paw on the treaty."_

 _Flame stood up confidently, his fear now gone. "There is no peace treaty," he meowed coldly, his voice not wavering._

 _Darkness almost looked confused for a second. "Then tell me,_ Flame, _" the evil spirit demanded, "why did you ask me to meet here?"_

 _"To send you to where you belong," Flame remarked coldly as the Spirits of Knowledge appeared beside him, as well as the youngest and most powerful Spirit, the Spirit of Luck._

 _Darkness-Echo flattened his ears fearfully. The spirit knew now that Flame had the upper paw. "T-the Spirits?!"_

 _Before anymore exchanges were said, the Luck Spirit grabbed Darkness, opened the portal to exile, and threw him in. The last thing Flame heard from him was his terrified yowl._

 _Flame then turned to the Spirits, who stood unshaken. "Thank you," he whispered gratefully, and the Spirits nodded._

 _All of the Spirits of Knowledge disappeared except for the Spirit of Luck. Turning, it said, "Flame, I promise you, one day you will see your friend again."_

 _The Peacemaker just stared in shock as the Spirit of Luck disappeared._ Echo would come back? _He didn't question the Spirits' logic, let alone the_ Spirit of Luck, _but that idea was a little far-fetched right now. Darkness-Echo was stripped of his power and exiled in the deepest point in the Cave of Shadows._

 _Flame thought for a minute as a few leaves fell down, the shadows and dark still there, as Darkness was not yet defeated. The shadows...Would they ever disappear?_

 ** _Timeline: 7 months ago_**

 _All Snowstar could feel right now were regret and sorrow. As she looked at the two squirming kits lying next to her paws, she couldn't help to look at the black she-kit with purple eyes and what looked like...bangs? Snowstar used her left paw to push them aside but then gasped._

 _Instead of another purple eye, her iris was a pale gray._ She's half blind... _she thought._ Darkness already tainted her.

 _The purple-eyed white she-cat stumbled back in shock. "It already happened..." she murmured to herself. "I can't believe Darkness already got to her."_

I guess that's what happens when you have kits with pure evil, _she thought ruefully. However, there was something different from the other kit. Instead of looking like a combination of the light and the dark, the other kit-a tom-was nothing like either of his parents. Instead, he had a tawny-colored pelt with striking green eyes, a shade of emerald green._ _He looked like a normal kit, unlike the she-kit._

 _"Am I late?" A familiar voice asked, and the IceClan leader looked up. Snowstar's solemn expression turned into a grin._

 _"Leaf! You came...even after what happened-" Snowstar began, but her half-sister rested her tail on the leader's shoulder. "That's in the past, Snowstar," she reminded her firmly. "And I know that you can't raise these kits with Darkness knowing where the Clans are."_

 _The gray tabby she-cat looked down at the kits at Snowstar's paws. "So, what are their names?' She looked into Snowstar's eyes. "Or do they not have any names...?"_

 _Snowstar nodded. "They do have names," she meowed. "The green-eyed kit is Bracken, and the purple-eyed she-kit is Echo."_

 _Leaf looked thoughtful. "Interesting names, sis," she complimented. "So do they have the prefix?"_

 _She shook her head. "No, I never announced their names publicly-and they can't know they're from IceClan."_

 _Her half-sister nodded with understanding. "I see. Would you like to say goodbye to them?"_

 _Snowstar thought for a moment, but then shook her head again. "No," she meowed, and Leaf looked surprised. "I can't continue to have an attachment on the kits I can't love. I need to let go," she explained quickly._

 _A glimmer of understanding sparked deep in Leaf's azure blue eyes. "Okay. Bye, Snowstar. Hopefully we'll reunite soon."_

 _"Yeah," the IceClan leader mewed to herself after she could only see Leaf's silhouette. "Soon."_

 _As the breeze ruffled through her snow-white fur, Snowstar looked determinedly at the sun that was setting on the river. One day, she knew that peace would be achieved._

 _She heard whispers, too, on that very day she gave Echo and Bracken away. The whispers kept on nagging her, continuously repeating,_

 _"To bring peace and harmony, find the breeze and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo."_


	20. Revelation, part 2

**_Timeline: 6 months ago_**

 _Leaf could sense the distrust from her fellow Tribe members as she brought in Echo and Bracken for trial. A half-moon ago she brought them in, and they were all welcome until a dangerous, deadly prophecy was given to the Elder Receiver, River. The two kits were still too young to remember any of their surroundings, and it may be a good thing...if they survive. The gray she-cat noticed that Echo's gray eye was showing again and hastily used the kit's bangs to cover it up. When she saw the she-kit attempting to push off the fur in her face, she gently scolded her; Leaf knew that in the Tribe that a kit with one or both gray eyes meant death for them all, and Echo would be killed at once. As the Tribe cats began to assemble into their assigned places for the trial, she noticed quite a few of her friends glaring at her and the kits with distrust. The prey-hunter looked down at the ground with shame. Snowstar trusted her to take care of her kits, but was it really worth it? Leaf could_ die _if she was caught lying about being the kits' false mother, knowing that one of the kits were tainted of the dark, knowing that the kits were_ offspring _of the light and the dark...and mainly Echo. Her intuition always got the best of her, because it was unfortunately always right. Echo was part of this prophecy that could fortell life and death as they knew it, and right now Leaf was playing with fire._

 _River padded up to the frazzled she-cat, whose crystal blue eyes were strained with fatigue and stress. "Leaf, I believe that these kits are innocent and they mean no harm. Don't worry," he assured her, "you know that I will do everything I can to make sure no cat here gets the death penalty, but with Boulder sick...Sky is taking over in this. And I know he doesn't really favor you."_

 _Leaf gulped. The sagely Elder Receiver was right, she knew. She and Sky had a history together. He had fell in love with her as apprentices, even though her feelings for Shadow were blocking any clarity to her thoughts and actions. Sky had flirted with her and she always pushed him away. One day, she took a midnight stroll and Sky followed her. She was really upset at the time because her brother had died that night against a band of rebel cats that were formerly of the Tribe, but resigned in their usual passive ways. Remorse flowed through her as she remembered that she had taken that anger and pain all out on poor Sky, who had felt utterly rejected and had since developed a great grudge, his pure heart slowly being overcome by dark. Even when her mate Shadow had died after an accident, she had refused to take on another mate despite that Sky still harbored feelings for her. Ever since that night when she lashed out at him, he never had been the same. Sky moved on with his life and even moved up to second-in-command of the Tribe, but that same pain and resentment that came from that very night was still there. Leaf could feel it intensify with every moment, and she feared him for that matter._

 _She knew that those old wounds wouldn't help at all in her favor, she knew that it would just make things worse with her testimony. For all of StarClan knows what the rest of the Tribe were lead to believe that she mated with a tom on the journey home after supposedly getting "lost," even though she had sworn that she would never take on a mate again. Sky had knew that. And now that would probably be her downfall..._

 _"Order, order!" The tension and Leaf's anxiety was released as she knew that the meeting was starting. All of the Tribe cats immediately grew silent as they paid attention to the situation at hand. They all watched as their leader-which was Sky because of Boulder's sickness-walked up and sat at the Highrock._

 _"We are all gathered here today for the trial of Leaf That Falls from Trees possibly bringing a kit-or kits-that could cause destruction to the universe," Sky meowed icily with the standard meeting starter. "Defense, rise."_

 _The defense was pitiful; only around six of her Tribemates stayed loyal and they all stood. The chargers were almost the entire Tribe, including Sky as Leaf would know it._

 _"Okay, now charging jury, rise."_

 _When the rest of the cats stood up it pierced a hole in her heart. Old friends, fellow apprentices, cats that she used to enjoy the prey-hunting patrols with...she wanted to cry. But she knew she needed to stand her ground. Of all times, this scenario could have her walk out alive, or not walk out at all. Leaf shuddered inwardly._

 _"River has told me of the new prophecy that caused us to harbor suspicion," the white-and-gray tom continued, "and as your temporary leader, I believe it is fair for you all to hear it:"_

 _"To bring peace and harmony, find the breeze and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo."_

 _The Tribe cats gasped and they talked rather loudly among themselves. Leaf could hear their accusatory remarks, and they were all but good things that went with her side._

 _"The Dark Echo must be that kit!"_

 _"Leaf has brought evil and destruction into our world!"_

 _"I mean, just look at that kit! She has a dark pelt and the strangest purple eyes I have ever seen!"_

 _"The kit must be killed for our Tribe's own safety, and for everyone else's!"_

 _River walked up to her during the uproar and meowed with confusion, "What I don't get in the prophecy is that it doesn't point at all to Bracken. All evidence is pointing to Echo."_

 _Leaf nodded, downcast from the prophecy and the accusations. "I got to show you something later, but right now's not the time."_

 _"Okay, Leaf," River mewed. "Hopefully we all make it out alive."_

 _River walked back to his place next to the Highrock casually and acted as if his and Leaf's conversation had never happened._ _When Leaf looked up to the temporary leader standing there, she was taken aback by all of the different emotions expressed by Sky's face. She saw satisfaction that almost no cat was in her favor, that same resentment from all those moons ago, an menacing smile replacing his once-kindhearted grin, and deep into his eyes she could see the most confusing emotion: regret._ Sky does partially regret what he's doing, _Leaf thought with realization. But she knew it couldn't be used to turn the tide of this. It was Sky's and Sky's decision alone that would debate if someone would survive...or die._

 _It looked like Sky had enough interjections by this point. "Order," the tom demanded. When no cat listened, the anger on his face skyrocketed and he bellowed, "ORDER!"_

 _All of the Tribe cats were immediately hushed, and Leaf could even see a little fear on each of their faces. She turned back to see a small smirk on Sky's face, and she knew whatever he was going to say wasn't going to be good._

 _"Cats of the Tribe of Infinite Knowledge, since I am a humble, kind cat, I have decided to give Leaf a choice. Either have the death penalty and the kits be spared, be exiled for life, or...she can kill the kit that will bring destruction in front of us."_

 _The Tribe thought carefully for a moment, and they all erupted into cheers, except for the defending side which was silent._

 _"No way! I would never kill my own kit in which you are using poor judgement from a prophecy that you are led to believe that she will bring destruction!' Leaf was irritated and also firm in her decision._

 _"Fine," Sky snarled with anger. "I will be honorable still and exile you and your kits unharmed on one condition: You must leave Bracken with us." Leaf's intuition knew it all along. Something bad would come out of this, and it would end up leaving Snowstar's son behind._

 _"I see much potential and purity in this young kit here," the gray and white tom explained. "He has no darkness or taint in him. He is ordinary, like the rest of us."_

 _Leaf looked warily at River, her eyes silently pleading with him to do something. In response, River interjected. "Sky, don't come to rash decisions. Maybe there is a mistake in the prophecy. We might be misinterpreting it. Prophecies are never that straightforward."_

 _The temporary leader whipped around, teeth bared into a deadly hiss. River backed away instantly. He knew that Sky was a formidable fighter and he was going against the odds if he went into a fight._

 _"I declare that Leaf That Falls from Trees is now an exile along with her daughter Echo, and we will have Bracken, her son for not harming anyone," Sky proclaimed. "This case is now closed."_

 _Leaf felt the pain and the rejection in both her kits' eyes. Bracken screamed and struggled against the Tribe cats to come back to her, but she knew it would be no use. She and Echo were on their own now._

 _Two of the strongest cave-guards led them to a hill that was a good distance away from the Tribe, and they left the both of them there. Leaf felt the sorrow overcome her and she sobbed, letting the tears fall down. She knew that Echo was tainted by Darkness, but she_ wasn't _the Dark Echo. Her intuition told her she would save the world._

 _The gray tabby she-cat looked up into the endless distance._ _For a moment, Leaf lost belief in everything as she knew it._

 _Was her intuition finally wrong?_

 _ **Timeline: 2 months ago**_

 _Blaze and his fellow alley cats cheered as they partied on. Everyone was chowing down on their favorite dumpster food and raucous laughter was everywhere. The only cat he saw sitting on the sidelines was his daughter Lily. He immediately stepped down and bounded next to her. "Why aren't you celebratin', little Lil-Lil?"_

 _"Dad!" Lily muttered, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Don't call me that."_

 _"Sheesh, Lily!" Blaze exclaimed. "You're an alley cat. Why the good grammarido or whatever it's called?"_

 _"I don't feel like partying," she mumbled._

 _"Fineeeee," Blaze wheezed slightly. "Be a party pooper, but you are sure missin' on lots of fun!"_

 _It was tradition every night for the alley cats to party until a few hours before dawn. Blaze remembered that his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather had started the tradition oodles of years ago. Every alley cat here was carefree about life and just enjoying it while it lasted. Until his oddball little princess Lily was born, of course._

 _Lily wasn't at all like the alley cats. She always preferred to stay clean for some random reason, probably for boys, he thought. Her fur was always neatly groomed and her sleepingplace always tidy. Unlike every other alley cat here, she wasn't the most carefree cat you would meet and she always,_ always _had good grammarido. His Lil-Lil said it was called "grammar," but whatever. It wasn't like they needed a tooter or what Lily called a "tutor." Blaze sometimes wished that his little daughter could actually have some fun and party like the rest of the alley cats, but she was super picky. In fact, she was so picky that she didn't even want her dad's good ol' kitty chowder, made freshly every day with some dumspter divin' and food that his daughter called "rotten."_

 _By tarnation, it wasn't rotten! It was just a lil' old on the outside, but gooey and better on the inside! Blaze had no idea what kind of random idears his Lil-Lil got it from. Sometimes he would see her eat alone on her tidy, clean sleepingplace with what she called "fresh-kill." Now that he thought about his little daughter, he knew that something had to be done. She needed to be like an alley cat: being okay getting a lil' muddy, eating his famous kitty chowder, and be more carefree! And that grammarido of hers...what in tarnation?!_

 _The alley cat leader got out of his thoughts and saw that their foreteller, Buddha, was on the ground screeching. All of the alley cats screeched in horror, backing away and giving a roomy circle for Buddha to breathe._

 _"Calm down, fellas!" Blaze pushed the other cats aside and rushed next to Buddha. "Buddha, old buddy, tell us what's wrong!"_

 _"Prophecy," the foreteller managed to say. All of the alley cats gasped, including Blaze. Blaze knew what was happening. "Y'all know what this means!" The alley cat leader shouted. "We in a whoopie pie of trouble."_

 _As Buddha was given a few more moments to breathe, he managed to say, "Blaze, that prophecy was so dark, so violent. It's so violent that...I'm speaking good grammar!"_

 _The alley cats gasped in horror again. If an alley cat didn't say grammarido instead of "grammar," something was wrong. "Tell us the prophecy, Buddha! TELL US!" They all demanded._

 _Buddha sat up and cleared his throat. "I heard the cats say, '_ To bring peace and harmony, find the breeze and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo.'"

 _Everyone murmured amongst themselves, attempting to figure out what in tarnation that dang prophecy was about._

 _His old friend grabbed onto him and begged him, "Old buddy Blaze, help me get relieved of this pain."_

 _Blaze was moved by pity of Buddha's state and he meowed, "Of course, Mr. Grammarido."_

 _For the standard procedure, Blaze hit Buddha's head and slapped him, over and over again. It may sound terrible, but it was the only way to restore an alley cat to their alley cat self. The only shocked cat was Lily, of course._

 _A few seconds later Buddha sat up and whooped. The other alley cats joined him. "Testin' one, dos, trees...grammarido...by golly, it still works!" Buddha exclaimed with happiness._

 _The alley cats continued their celebration except for Lily, who was facepawing. "Ah, little Lil-Lil, I shall see myself that you will become normal again," Blaze mewed to himself._

 ** _Timeline: A few hours ago..._**

 _Tabi had been following Echopaw and her friends for a while now. She survived by eating their scraps of meat that they hid not-so-subtly on the ground, and they always left plenty of meat because Breezepaw and Bracken always thought that good meat was fat. The tortoiseshell kit facepawed remembering those moments._

 _She had watched helplessly and with fear as Darkness had knocked the three unconscious and then him and a patrol of Dark Warriors brought the trio through a giant portal. Before it closed, Tabi snuck in quietly and she was transported to what she heard was called the "Underworld." Looking around with awe was a complex lava-rock like camp that housed tens upon thousands of Dark Warriors, the lead guard called Chieftain, and Darkness._

 _She scrambled around while following Chieftain and the trio from which she heard were going to the Meeting Room. However, distractions were always there._

 _Tabi ahhed at the colorful banners and the story they played out. To her, it was incredible just_ looking _at them. She looked at the events that had already happened, and she obviously knew it was about the trio. What really confused her was the banner of something being tossed into the lava with Echopaw, Breezepaw, and Bracken all looking in horror. Darkness was there too, and so was Chieftain._

 _The young kit honestly didn't get it, as her innocent blue eyes showed all. She looked further into the future and saw that there was going to be an ultimate faceoff between Echopaw and Darkness...oh whoops, shouldn't have said that! Tabi darted awkwardly away to the Meeting Room._

 _She hid behind this strange banner and saw a kit hidden protectively between Breezepaw's paws. When she looked closer she saw that it looked like her. Tabi was aware of the great power behind Darkness, and he must have created an illusion! It was the only way._

 _The tortoiseshell kit watched intently as Darkness threw illusion-her into the lava, with Echopaw, Breezepaw, and Bracken looking shocked and scared and Echopaw wailing miserably. Tabi almost fell for the illusion until she remembered that illusion-her was killed. Not the actual Tabi._

 _Tabi knew that she had to assure Echo she was alive. She had to help them, because by the looks of them they were prisoners._

 _As the meeting was adjourned, Tabi murmured to herself, "Well, Tabi, time to save the day for once."_


	21. Escape

Chieftain was greatly troubled. Darkness was taking it way too far now. But he couldn't betray his master, the spirit who took him in as an abandoned kit and fed him, sheltered him, and took care of him. Those questing cats thought that he was a monster, but only Chieftain alone knew of his kind, caring side. Even _pure evil_ had barriers. But his master...He heard plans of his, plans that would bomb the entire Underworld. His master made it sound like he was making Chieftain stay here...as his last job faithfully following him. His _last job._

 _Is it worth it to save Darkness? Or is good actually better than it seems?_

Yes, why do you ask, that Chieftain is very good at grammar? Chieftain is good at inner thoughts in grammar, but correct pronunciation is much difficult. Chieftain can also comprehend good grammar too. But as Chieftain paced his quarters frantically, it is then when the small space of conscience he had left brought back the right decision for him.

"Yes," Chieftain meowed, now certain of his decision. "Gods happy. I make right."

"Tabi?" Echopaw asked warily. "You're not dead?"

The young kitten shook her head. "No, Darkness just used me as an illusion. But enough questions for now. It's time for you to escape."

As the small tortoiseshell kit struggled to climb up to unlock their cell, a threatening shadow grabbed Tabi by the scruff. The guard-Chieftain-covered Tabi's scream with a firm paw.

"What do you want?" Breezepaw kept his tone as confident as he possibly could. "It's not even the morning yet."

Chieftain said no words, only unlocking the cell and pushing it wide open. "No talk yet," he meowed firmly, his poor Cat still getting in the way of his speech. "Must leave. Darkness not know this. I find you way out, you give me freedom."

Despite his choppy grammar, the questing cats agreed, as Bracken translated it for Echopaw, Breezepaw, and Tabi. Echopaw, however, was still hesitant of their new "ally." She stopped Chieftain, growling, "How do you know we can trust you?"

The guard took off his ghastly mask to reveal a black-and-white spotted normal-looking tom with blue eyes. Echopaw knew from a vision that Chieftain had a teardrop-shaped scar on his left cheek, but now it was gone.

"Scar shows allegiance to Master. I erase scar with Resurrection Stone. Similar to Harmony Stone. I had small piece, Master gave to me. It not work for friends of yours. Need Darkness destroyed for erase."

Echopaw nodded. That was all she needed.

Chieftain put on his mask and led them to an unfamiliar corridor. Through the questing cats' intuition this wasn't the way. Where were they going?

When they arrived to an isolated door, Chieftain stopped them. "Stay here. Wait for signal."

He placed on a paw on which Echopaw heard him say it was a "doorknob." With a beep, the door opened in a strange manner. As the trio waited outside, she heard some inaudible dialogue and Chieftain slipped out.

"What did you do?" Echopaw questioned suspiciously. The former guard looked at them, saying, "I got key for us out of Underworld."

As Chieftain was about to open the portal from the Underworld to their own world, a thought crossed Echopaw's mind. She knew what she had to do. There was something here that she need to do first.

" _Wait!"_ She hissed quietly. All of them turned to stare at the purple-eyed she-cat with confusion. "What about Moonpaw's spirit? If we ever have a chance of bringing her back, we need to get it."

Chieftain hesitated for a moment, but then he sighed and gave in to Echopaw's valid point. "You good friend," the older tom told her. "I get jar to contain life force, you disable security camera."

"And where exactly are these security cameras?" Breezepaw questioned skeptically.

"There is vent system. Small friend can disable camera from behind. All cameras placed in front of vent system."

Bracken meowed to the little kit, "Well, Tabi, looks like you're up."

The small tortoiseshell kit nodded with determination and enthusiasm. The group found an entrance to the ventilation system, and with use of their special powers Tabi crept through.

Breezepaw looked at Echopaw briefly. "I guess that we have to trust on a kit and a former of Darkness' militia to get us out of here."

The black she-cat knew that her companion was skeptical of their chances, but she had faith in their team. "Breezepaw, you need to learn to let go. You need to _trust."_

The tabby tom shook his head. "I'm not sure if I can, Echo," he mewed softly. " _Chieftain_ was one of the cats that helped kill my parents _and_ who gave me this scar," he mumbled, pointing to the teardrop on his ear. "We didn't exactly meet on good terms."

Bracken padded up to Breezepaw and put a comforting paw on his shoulder. "Breezepaw, mine and Echo's life has entirely been a lie. We didn't even know our true parents until now, but we will overcome this. If we can go past this, then you can definitely go past any past with Chieftain and trust Tabi that she will deactivate the security camera. Remember that Chieftain taught her."

Green eyes met brother and sister coldly. "That's the part that worries me."

The cats suddenly heard a surprised yet ecstatic squeal from Tabi. "I did it! I disabled the security camera!"

Echopaw, Bracken, and Breezepaw all smiled, but then there was something off. Wasn't Tabi in the ventilation shaft? That meant that sound echoes through the entire facility...and the young tortoiseshell kit just shouted that she disabled a security camera...oh no.

Breezepaw's eyes widened with panic. "Tabi just told the entire Underworld lair that we were here, didn't she?"

Bracken and Echopaw nodded blankly, eyes wide.

Meanwhile, Darkness finally slept peacefully in his lair, dreaming of conquering the world and making Flame suffer for what happened. In his dream Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Moonpaw (when Traya would be out of her body, of course) were being slaughtered and burned to a crisp. A loud, annoying squealing sound ruptured his dream-ears and woke him up, much to his chagrin. Darkness groaned as the sound kept on ringing in his ears.

He heard a strange noise from the ventilation shaft, and he noted that the squeal sounded a lot like that nuisance kit Tabi's squeal. The spirit listened closely and he heard it again. A squeal, and a high-pitched voice, no older than a kit's, meowed, "I did it! I disabled the security camera!"

Darkness' eyes widened in alarm. _That pest Tabi somehow got into the Underworld and disabled my security camera! "_ Alarm...alarm..." he muttered to himself as he looked for the emergency lockdown button. Finding it, he pressed it as many times as he could.

A loud, wailing sound came from every room and the lockdown sign flashed red. Darkness sighed with satisfaction. "You can run, Echo, but you can't hide," the dark lord cackled.

As Tabi climbed out of the ventilation shaft, a loud, wailing sound similar to a fire drill or a lockdown boomed everywhere. "Well, Darkness definitely heard that!" Echopaw was slightly annoyed by Tabi's foolishness, but she _did_ disable the security camera.

Chieftain broke the control room door in a panic with a good size jar in his mouth, setting it down. "How-need to get out now. Chieftain knows drill. Must leave before Darkness comes!"

"Fine, but we're getting Moonpaw-well, her spirit-first!" Bracken argued, to which the formerly high ranked guard reluctantly agreed.

The cats crept to the Meeting Room, to which Echopaw acknowledged that it looked much more spacious than before. The chest was still sitting there, cold, black iron in patterns covering the eerily evil-looking box. She really hoped Chieftain knew what he was doing, because it looked really high-tech. It looked like if there was one wrong move, it would explode, obliterating anyone near enough in its path or anyone inside of it.

Chieftain punched in the code 1-2-3-4 (which was actually a little folly to do) and the chest opened slowly. Time was against them in this situation. Breezepaw remarked that he thought he heard the bloodthirsty yowls of Dark Warriors a minute ago.

Darkness' former adviser opened the jar and Moonpaw's spirit flew quickly yet gracefully into the small container. Chieftain turned to look at them. "Need to disable lockdown. Portal key not work with lockdown. Disable so we leave!"

"Wait," Bracken meowed. "How does a _lockdown_ prevent a portal key from working?"

"Lockdown that Darkness activate disable escape chances," Chieftain explained as quickly as he could. "All pitch in for disable lockdown."

The escaping heroes raced back to the control room (the door was busted by Chieftain) and the guard explained to them that they needed to hotwire the control panel correctly in order to stop the lockdown. It was just like the chest: one wrong move, and they were done for.

This time, they were in big trouble. Chieftain had no idea on how to hotwire the advanced control panel. Only the technicians-now dead-could hotwire it if the lockdown was activated by mistake.

Echopaw thought for a moment desperately. _StarClan, show me the way..._ She then remembered about the powers Snowstar had told them they had. The young she-cat focused on the control panel, deep in thought. Through a vision it showed her how to hotwire it. _Thank StarClan...and especially Snowstar._

"Breezepaw!" Echopaw meowed urgentlty, the tom immediately facing her way. "Open the panel and pull the center blue wire, the red wire to the right of it, and the green wire at the very corner in that order."

Understanding her knowledge, the brown tabby pulled all three. Five seconds later, the wails of the lockdown subsided gradually, and everyone sighed with relief. Chieftain ushered them forward impatiently out of the control room, and they were about to open their ticket to freedom...

Of course they weren't getting away _that_ easily.

Five young Dark Warriors stood in the middle of the doorway, eyes hostile and angry. _"Chieftain!"_ they all snarled except for the smallest one. _"Gar Kelir Waadar par gar treachery!"_

Well, they were definitely not getting out of here without a fight. Breezepaw, Echopaw, Bracken, and Chieftain all formed a semi-circle with Tabi protected in the middle with their fur bristling and teeth bared. The younger Dark Warriors knew they were up for a fight, and their eyes widened with fear for a moment. Determination and recklessness got the best of them, and the leading Dark Warrior lunged for Chieftain. Thus the battling began.

Chieftain yowled in pain as the lead Dark Warrior clawed his shoulder, tufts of fur falling on the ground. Echopaw snuck behind the Dark Warrior and bit his paw as hard as she could, the warrior screaming from the waves of pain. The Dark Warrior fell off and limped hurriedly away, frightened from the overwhelming advantage that was against them. The former high guard nodded a "thank you" to Echopaw as she helped Breezepaw fend off the younger Dark Warrior that he was fighting. Hissing, claws extended, the purple-eyed she-cat raked the tom's shoulder.

The brown tabby tom then delivered the last blow: scratching his eyes with his front paw. Yowls of pain from the hit sent the Dark Warrior running away likewise. As Echopaw and Breezepaw turned around, battle-ready, they saw Chieftain and Bracken hissing warningly at the smallest Dark Warrior, to which the she-cat noticed didn't say what the other four had snarled out earlier.

"Please, please...don't hurt me. I surrender!" The youngest Dark Warrior's eyes were wide in fear instead of hatred as he took off the oversized fearsome mask that covered his face. It revealed the same young tom that Echopaw saw with Traya when spying on her possessed friend: the young tom with amber eyes, a reddish pelt, and white paws. _Alder._

"Are you Alder?" Breezepaw asked tentatively, fur still bristling from the fight. Echopaw was about to ask the same question but her ally beat her to it first.

"H-how do you know my name?" the young cat stuttered. His eyes widened as he tom sniffed Breezepaw. "W-wait. _You're_ the o-one who was s-spying on our m-meeting!"

Her friend was taken aback by Alder's accusation. Sure, it _was_ true, but how did the young Dark Warrior know?

Alder cleared his throat. "Don't worry, you guys. I won't report you to Darkness or snitch on you. When I joined the Ecto Bane in the first place, I was foolish and reckless. I wanted a better life. But then I saw its true colors a few weeks later. Then I saw you all on your journey. You all inspired me to be the better cat in this and help you. The only reason I'm still in this organization is because I'm trying to collect as much information as possible to help your cause."

Bracken was confused. "Wait, wait, wait. So you're secretly an agent for us that joined the Ecto Bane?"

The young tom thought for a moment, tilting his head. "Yeah, sort of like that."

"And you're not going to snitch on us?" Breezepaw demanded.

The young Dark Warrior nodded. "It's time for Darkness to be defeated for once. I'll do what's right for the greater good, and if it means sacrificing my life to tell you guys information, it will all be worth it. Here," Alder meowed, handing out a strange necklace with a green glow. "It will keep us in touch."

Echopaw took it cautiously, and seeing it didn't blow up, replied, "Thank you, Alder. What you're doing means a lot."

Alder's determination in his eyes showed everything as he watched Chieftain open up the portal key to the Overworld, giving him a nod of acknowledgement, and saw his new allies jump through it. He then hid in the maintenance closet because he knew that Darkness would be coming any minute now. Those who failed to do their assigned jobs were punished cruelly, some punishments so terrible that either the Dark Warriors within a few days or even instantly.

Darkness and his forces finally arrived, all Dark Warriors and him included battle-hungry. He sent a search patrol, with them coming out minutes later, saying, _"Darkness, val ganar escaped."_

In anger, the spirit used an invisible force to push the Dark Warrior search patrol into the wall. Chanting an ancient spell of destruction, he then clawed them and they turned into dust.

His army let out a small gasp of shock and fear, to which the dark lord silenced them threateningly. With a surge of rage and power, he yowled, "ECHO!"

The group of cats all had a minor celebration of a huge prey pile at their temporary camp. Even Echopaw, after many months of just frowns and worried looks, smiled radiantly. She, Breezepaw, Bracken, Tabi, and Chieftain all feasted on the blessing from StarClan, exclaiming, "Let the light conquer all!" They then devoured the good-sized prey pile, eating more than they did on average for an entire day's food supply.

Out of all of them, Chieftain was the happiest, most likely from being free from Darkness' wrath on him. The former adviser for the spirit now abandoned his robes and the daunting mask he used to wear was now cast aside to rot in the dust. His black-and-white pelt looked lighter in the moonlight and the cat's blue eyes even looked a little playful.

As Chieftain smiled at a joke Breezepaw just made a strange invisible pair of earmuffs seemed to be covering Cheiftain's ears, because now all sounds seemed muffled. A dark, sinister voice penetrated his thoughts.

"Why hello, Chieftain."

Chieftain's eyes widened in fear.

 _"Darkness, how did you get inside my head?"_ The blue-eyed tom thought for a minute. The bond! _"Darkness, I'm not your servant anymore. You don't have a prominent place in my life. Torture any other cat, make them your slave, but I never will be. You are my enemy."_

"You are a _failure,_ Chieftain. After all of these years..." The spirit's voice cracked a little. Chieftain was shocked that Darkness would actually _care_ for some other cat besides himself. "I have saved you from near death, raised you, and you became one of my most trusted advisers. You were third-in-command of the army. I have no choice to but..."

Chieftain started choking, feeling his life force slowly fading away. Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken and Tabi all noticed to their alarm. "Chieftain, what's happening?!" Echopaw asked in a panic.

"Darkness...eradicate...life force," the older cat spluttered. "Must...break...bond! Bond...is...object..." The color in his blue eyes was starting to fade as he writhed on the ground helplessly.

Bracken immediately ran to Chieftain's discarded mask and ripped it to shreds, to which he realized his efforts were to no avail. What other bond object could there possibly be between Chieftain and Darkness? The black-and-white cat already erased the black teardrop scar that him and Breezepaw both had.

That was when Bracken noticed the strange bracelet with the purple teardrop charm on Chieftain's paw. He began to run back to Chieftain, but an invisible force blocked him from getting any closer to the dying cat. Echopaw and Tabi were helpless and he realized that Breezepaw had no barrier in front of him, but the tabby tom was reluctant.

"Breezepaw!" Bracken yowled. "Whatever grudge you hold against Chieftain now, you need to let go! It's not right to let any cat die like this!"

The green-eyed tom's face was still blank, showing no emotion or pity toward the dying cat.

"Please, Breezy!" he heard Echopaw plead. "What would your mother and father want you to do?"

Breezepaw's eyes lit up, the blank mask on his face broken. His eyes shone with condolence at Chieftain, almost dead, as he raised his paw...

...And struck the bracelet, breaking it into a million pieces.

"No! _No!"_ Darkness' voice echoed and disappeared and the invisible barriers were released, with Echopaw, Bracken, and Tabi rushing to their comrade as he coughed and spluttered back to life.

"Chieftain forever in gratitude to Breezepaw," the former guard meowed as the three other cats supported him. "Chieftain in great debt to you."

Breezepaw managed a smile, which all could read _I forgive you_ and _You're welcome._

"Now, as thank you for Breezepaw save," Chieftain continued, "Chieftain will join cause."

Echopaw's expression looked delighted. "Really? You mean it?"

"Yes." The tom looked happy with his announcement. "But before bed, Chieftain tell you story of bond."

Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Tabi all listened intently as the older tom began his tale:

"Long time ago, before you born, I was wanderer. Parents abandoned me. I on my own, one day I got attacked by badger. Darkness saved me. Took me under his wing, accepted me in family..."

As Chieftain continued to tell his inspirational backstory, the sky seemed peaceful at last, with the moon glinting stronger than before and the stars bright specks in the night.


	22. The Last Stand

Night passed as fast as the blink of an eye, the luminous moon beginning to set and the red-orange rays of dawn penetrated the dark night sky. A small wind accompanied the budding warmth of the sun. However, despite this, dawn was not present yet, as the birds still were fast asleep in their nests, squirrels snoring quietly in their dens and burrows. Everything was drowsily asleep, not yet ready to wake up for the new day. Only the constant gentle flow of the River of Echoes was awake at this hour with a few familiar questing cats.

The only creatures that _weren't_ asleep were Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Chieftain. They were letting Tabi get some more sleep while they scouted the unfamiliar Overworld territory that they knew was close, _very close,_ to the Cave of Shadows.

Echopaw couldn't believe that after all this time struggling and traveling they finally were nearby the Cave of Shadows. She thought back to when she told her friends that it would take a quarter moon to reach there. _Heh, I guess Flame was wrong on that one,_ the dark she-cat thought with amusement. _It had been at least a couple moons now. I wonder if Flame was closer and he misinterpreted it when he traveled there._ Perhaps it only took him a quarter moon.

"So, here's my idea," Bracken explained. "I'll bring Tabi back to Rose in Twolegplace and you guys head course for the Cave of Shadows. Just leave a clear trail for me to follow and I'll catch up."

After a moment of consideration, Breezepaw nodded in agreement. "It's the best way we got. We should bring Tabi back to Twolegplace before Rose gets worried."

They all gave their murmurs of approval and Bracken woke up the sleeping form of the little kit. "Hey Tabi," her brother mewed softly. "We got to get to Twolegplace so Aunt Rose doesn't get worried."

The tortoiseshell kit's eyes fluttered open. "Are you sure that I can't help you guys, Bracken?"

Bracken nodded solemnly. "I don't want you risking your life at this age," he meowed firmly. "Come on, I'll race you to that tree!'

Tabi grinned immediately and bounced to her feet. "You're on," she squeaked determinedly and she and Bracken ran off.

Chieftain half-smiled to himself. These young cats were something alright. The black-and-white tom picked up the compact jar that contained Moonpaw's life force and walked with Echopaw and Breezepaw, which were talking amiably a few fox-lengths up ahead. He smiled to himself again, seeing the two cats talking together. The former guard knew that those two were inseparable from where he first saw them. Now that they met, Echopaw and Breezepaw couldn't be closer, even if he didn't know his new allies that well. He just knew that they were a match. He just knew...it was probably intuition.

Meanwhile, Echopaw smiled at Breezepaw. "Breezy, are you excited to go back home?"

"Of course!" the tabby tom answered almost immediately. "There's no place I'd ever be besides home. But anyway, the thing is...I already am home."

Echopaw raised her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He moved closer and green eyes met with purple. "Wherever I am with you, you're my home." The brown tom then flashed one of his signature cheesy grins as Echopaw turned away for a moment, blushing madly.

"Aww, Breezy," she purred. "You're such a romantic."

"I always was, and always will," Breezepaw meowed with a smirk.

The pair beamed at each other as they gazed at the terrain ahead of them. Wait, was it...green? Echopaw squinted, attempting to make out what was up ahead. Her eyes _must_ be fooling her. It looked like a rocky landscape, with the rocks _green._

"Is my eyes fooling me or are the rocks up there green?" Echopaw murmured quietly.

Breezepaw gave his head a quick shake. "No, I see green rocks too," he meowed with confusion. The green-eyed tom then turned to Chieftain, who was not too far behind. "Hey Chieftain, you might want to check this out!"

The black-and-white cat then ran up to them and looked at the strange green expanse that was now around approximately five fox-lengths away. Putting down the small glass jar gently, he looked like he was deep in thought. "Hmm," Chieftain replied. "Must be place where Cave of Shadows is. Darkness talk of that before. Dark Warriors cannot set foot on rocks. That is why Darkness not attack." Chieftain's grammar was improving slightly thanks to Echopaw and Breezepaw, but in some places it was still a little sloppy.

Breezepaw and Echopaw nodded in acknowledgment and cautiously walked into the strange territory, Chieftain following them. There was even a green haze to the normally blue sky, and in some places emerald-colored rocks were even _floating._ After following the dirt path the questing cats found the entrance to the cave: a raised small hill that had a dark hole through it. Standing next to it was a familiar white she-cat with green eyes and a strange symbol on her flank...the same symbol that River had drawn out when they met the Tribe of Infinite Knowledge! _Messenger._

"You have arrived," Messenger meowed blatantly, a small smile in her eyes. "Now that you have came, you must have a meeting with the Spirits of Knowledge right away."

"Wait," Echopaw mewed, slowing Messenger's pace to a halt. "Why are you here?"

"I am the Spirits' organizer," she replied, her face almost expressionless. "I had to assist you here."

Echopaw nodded with understanding and started to follow Messenger, but she heard an unfamiliar noise coming behind them. Dust clouds were everywhere from the dirt path, but her vision was clear enough to deduce that it was a cat. Whether it was an enemy or not was uncertain. She noticed with alarm that the cat was heading for Chieftain. "Chieftain, look out!" Echopaw warned.

Chieftain listened to her warning and delivered a blow straight to the cat's head. The enemy grunted in pain and collapsed onto the ground. As the dust cleared up, Echopaw looked closer at the cat, which she saw was...

Bracken? Oh StarClan, not her brother...

"You didn't hit him too hard, right?" the dark she-cat asked nervously, checking to see if any serious damage was done to her brother.

Chieftain shook his head. "Only enough power to keep unconscious until nightfall."

Echopaw sighed with relief. "Chieftain, can you bring him in? I'll carry the jar." The blue-eyed older tom grunted with agreement and set down the jar to which she picked up with her mouth. The former guard then dragged Bracken inside by his front paw, and Breezepaw cast a worried glance at his unconscious friend.

Messenger led them to a large cave with a massive crystal interior. Echopaw gasped in awe by its magnificence. On the outside, it looked ordinary, but inside it was stunningly unbelievable. The blue-tinted crystal formations at the top showed a detailed pattern and each pawstep they took had a small echo effect to it. The same symbol on Messenger's flank was copied and expanded to a larger scale in the center on the crystallized floor. There were symbols, too, as the black she-cat looked closer. She saw six different symbols etched into crystal that formed a semi-circle around the symbol.

They were then led to a private yet roomy den designed to fit a good amount of cats without being too crowded. Messenger flashed them a kind smile, but Echopaw knew there was something behind it. "Make yourselves comfortable. I will return when the Spirits of Knowledge are ready for the meeting."

Echopaw let go of a breath she never knew she was holding as she set down the glass jar gently. "At least we have _some_ time to actually relax instead of all of the stress from wartime."

Breezepaw and Chieftain nodded in agreement. "All I'm glad for right now is that we are safe from Darkness," her mate-wait, no- _close best friend_ commented.

After they had settled into their temporary living space, Chieftain spoke. "Well, Chieftain...will explore now. Go on walk to learn more." The former Dark Warrior was acting a little strange as he awkwardly left the den, but Echopaw ignored it.

"Well, he left in a hurry," Breezepaw meowed suspiciously. _Was he setting us up?_

"Yeah." Unfocused purple eyes remained fixed at a random point, obviously distracted by something.

Breezpaw huffed a little with annoyance.

"Echo, what's going on? Even with our conversation a little while ago, you seem...distant. Want to talk about it?"

 _Silence._ "Fine. I'm just worried about Moonpaw mostly. I'm worried for you and my brother too. We can't even guarantee that Moonpaw will be able to return to her physical form, or if that spirit will just completely take over her...Breezy, I'm scared. If that happens to Bracken, or to you...I wouldn't know what to do..."

The tom lay down next to her, placing a reassuring paw on hers. "Echo, I can't guarantee that I won't get hurt in battles or get possessed by some wacky spirit. It's just like how I can't guarantee that peace will last forever, or that the sun will continue rotating for eternity. But you have to stay strong. For me. _Please._ You asked me to stay strong and make the better choice by sparing Chieftain. I listened to you. Now I need you to listen to _me."_

For some reason, tears began to form in Echopaw's eyes. "Thanks, Breezepaw," she mewed softly and she buried her face into his shoulder.

Breezepaw inwardly purred to himself, but he must have accidentally did that allowed after Echopaw then sat up and looked at him with confusion, asking, "Is it just me or did you just purr?"

He froze, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Uh, y-yeah."

Echopaw grinned. "That's cute." Breezepaw's blush intensified even more after her comment.

"Now, we need a plan for when we return to IceClan," the beautiful she-cat meowed half to herself.

The brown tabby tom groaned with mock-disappointment, a slight smirk on his face. "Aw, come on! We were just getting comfortable."

His fellow companion lightly punched him on his shoulder. She suddenly leaned so close to him all she could see was his eyes. "You wish."

Breezepaw blushed and rolled his eyes as he listened to what she had to say. "We need to tell Snowstar Darkness's threat and spread word to the Clans. If we have a Gathering coming soon, we'll have Snowstar just report it to the other Clans instead of ourselves."

"Pretty good plan. The thing is, we probably need some better training than we have typically right now. Even those inexperienced Dark Warriors picked up quite a good match."

"That's where Chieftain comes in. It's good that you saved him, because now we have intel that we desperately need to stop Darkness. He can help us train our Clan and the other Clans, and with Blaze's help we'll have a good chance."

"So is that a plan?"

"Of course it is. We finished the plan part, now we'll do something _you_ want to do. Here's your reward for being patient, Breezy."

Breezepaw thought for a minute. He wouldn't do _anything_ to violate Echopaw's trust in him; he loved the dark she-cat too much to do measures like that. A yawn escaped from him, and that gave him idea.

"Can we just sleep now?" the tabby tom asked. "I'm really tired, Echo. You?"

Echopaw nodded. "Same here. It wouldn't hurt to have a few hours of sleep while we still can."

The two cats snuggled together, staying warm as they fell asleep in each other's warmth. Their breathing slowed to an even pattern and they became peacefully asleep.

It was at that time that Chieftain had _finally_ decided to come back in. He actually did a little exploring around the huge cave. There weren't any rooms of his interest or liking, however. The only interesting thing he actually found in the cave was a few ancient texts in the Ecto Bane's dialogue that had some foretelling about a great amount of peril that would come in steps before the final battle of the dark and the light. _It seems like that is coming much sooner than expected,_ the black-and-white tom thought to himself.

He then noticed the two sleeping cats close together, smiles on their faces-something he had never really seen from either of them. All he saw was expressions of pain and anger. Now Chieftain knew a different side to these young cats.

The familiar voice that had almost killed him last encounter appeared in his head. "Oh Chieftain. You silly fool. You may have broken the bond between us, but I can still contact you with the cauldron."

"No," he growled with anger. " _Get out."_

"Ah, I see that your grammar is improving. But let's skip that. I'm going to make sure you will never be able to sleep without someone watching again. I'll make you suffer for your treachery, Chieftain. My Dark Warriors are looking for you. And when they do find you, they will capture you and your kit-friends and you will die a gruesome death."

Black roaches started invading the den, crawling and surrounding him. He shrieked with terror and tried to run, but to no avail since the disgusting creatures had already climbed up to his claws. His fear-scent radiated off of him, the creatures who he had been afraid of ever since he was a kit about to kill and gut him.

They began crawling into his eyes, his mouth...

 _"Chieftain!"_ Echopaw's familiar voice rang into his ears and he realized that the roaches were gone. He noticed that there were two of them now; Echopaw was still sleeping next to Breezepaw, but a fainter, more vision-like version of her standing in front of him.

"What you do?" Chieftain testified. Did Echopaw do this on purpose?

"You were hallucinating...sort of. It's like you half-dreamed, half-hallucinated at the same time," the she-cat attempted to explain. "With my power I cut off your contact with Darkness. It won't keep you protected for the next time he attempts to contact you. I would have to do it again."

"Oh." The black-and-white tom felt even dumber than a mouse-brain normally was. "Thank you."

The dark she-cat nodded and the fainter version of her returned back to the sleeping, realistic form of her. Both Echopaw and Breezepaw started to wake up, and the tabby tom stiffened when he saw that Chieftain was looking at them. He showed him a nervous _Nothing happened!_ expression, to which the former guard just smirked.

It was right on time, however, because Messenger popped right in a few heartbeats later. "The Spirits of Knowledge are ready to see you," the green-eyed white she-cat meowed crisply.

Echopaw and Breezepaw (Chieftain wasn't allowed to attend the meeting) felt a little silly yowling three times after Messenger instructed them to, but what happened after that was amazing. The two watched in awe as lightning zapped, fire burned, water rushed, earth crumbled and ice grew and the five Spirits of Knowledge appeared. A few heartbeats later an immense burst of green energy exploded onto the sixth pedestal, and the most powerful Spirit, the Spirit of Luck, also appeared as well, four-leaf clovers falling down gently from the elevated rock.

"What do you need?" The six Spirits of Knowledge asked simultaneously.

Echopaw stepped forward, bowing her head politely before she spoke. "We have come seeking guidance on how to defeat Darkness."

The Spirit of Luck rashly interrupted the solemn meeting, exclaiming, "Wait, Darkness had broken out of his prison again?! We should have put more guards there, I told you!"

The older Spirits of Knowledge looked at the younger one with annoyance, but ignored it. _Was there a rift between the Spirits?_ Echopaw thought to herself suspiciously.

The Lightning Spirit stepped forward. "This conflict with Darkness has been going on for tens of thousands of years. If you somehow defeat Darkness, the remnants of him will just come together again and he will be rebuilt. We have seen this before."

"When was that?" Breezepaw questioned.

This time, the Ice Spirit spoke. "It was a time from even before the Peacemakers were born. There was a Darkness before the one you know now. These evil spirits teach a special ritual to their apprentices, so if they are killed they can find another Darkness to create. The only rule for becoming an evil spirit is to be of the male gender. All apprentices are of the female gender, as we know it."

"Spirits of Knowledge," Echopaw mewed respectfully, "why can't you just exile Darkness again?"

The original five Spirits then turned to the Spirit of Luck. _The Spirit of Luck must have not told them!_ "Well..." The powerful, sagely Spirit sighed. "After I first exiled Darkness, it gave me a side effect to my power. It made me weaker." Everyone gasped, including the Spirits. If the Spirit of Luck grew weak, something ominously bad would happen.

"I knew that exiling any other being of that evil power would be too risky. So we can't exile Darkness. It's no longer an option on the table."

Breezepaw asked another of his impulsive questions. "So what's left on that table?"

All of the Spirits looked at each other nervously...wait, they were actually nervous? How could a _Spirit_ of that power and knowledge be nervous? They were the _Spirits of Knowledge,_ for crying out loud!

Footsteps snapped Echopaw's attention back to reality and she realized that the Fire Spirit stepped forward this time. "There are technically no options left on the table."

Echopaw was blown away by shock. The _Spirits of Knowledge,_ the smartest beings to ever live, didn't know how to solve a problem?! That was downright impossible. Just...impossible.

"But," the Earth Spirit added hastily, noticing Echopaw's and Breezepaw's expressions, "there is one option that shows how to eliminate Darkness through a cryptic message."

The Water Spirit continued the discussion. "The message is, 'For the flame to be rekindled, burdens must be carried upon, another path walked with all.' As of now, we don't know what this message could possibly mean." Even the Spirit of Luck seemed confused when hearing its cryptic words.

"All we can say right now is to remember the message. It will be useful in the future," the Fire Spirit explained matter-of-factly.

"We will let you stay the night and depart to the Clans in the morning," the Earth Spirit added almost awkwardly.

Both Echopaw and Breezepaw gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"This meeting is hereby adjourned," they all said in unison, and the five elements surrounded them and they all disappeared. The Spirit of Luck still stood there, looking guiltily at the two young cats. He then said the phrase, and he disappeared with a burst of green energy and a shamrock floating down like a leaf falling in leaf-fall.

Echopaw had a mix of feelings along the lines of frustration and disappointment. As she and Breezepaw returned back to the den, as she lay awake during the night, she now knew that Darkness may be an enemy _nobody_ could defeat.

Bracken woke up with a headache, opening his eyes and groaning as he felt his head. It throbbed from when he remembered that Chieftain accidentally hit him and his vision turned black. As he looked around with confusion, he noticed that he was in a different place, lying down in a crystal-like den (which was surprisingly comfy, but then he noticed he was lying on a mossbed) next to Moonpaw's spirit.

Looking around curiously, he noticed his sister sleeping next to Breezepaw and Chieftain sleeping alone in the corner. Bracken slowly got up to his paws, shaking off the stiffness he felt in his legs.

It was at that time when he heard a whisper. The strange whisper called to him, influenced him, nagged him to come to the source. Interested and confused by the whisper he blindly followed, noting in awe at the massive, detailed crystals decorating the interior. The tawny green-eyed tom followed the sound by taking a left and going down a dark, secluded corridor. Listening again, Bracken heard the whisper say over and over again, _"Right. Dark Echo."_

The curious tom turned a right as instructed and found a large entryway showing mixed up letters in the order _kcoe dhar._ Remembering what the whisper said, he rearranged the letters to _Dark Echo_ and he popped his head inside, looking at what the whisper was calling him to.

Bracken looked in shock when sitting in the middle of the dark, secluded room was a small, glowing green stone. The whisper that had guided him here mixed in with the other whispers, influencing him and confusing him at the same time.

Out of all of the whispers he had heard, two words stood out to him the most:

 _Harmony Stone._


	23. Shattered

A few minutes after Bracken had left, Echopaw woke up from her surprisingly peaceful sleep. She still was frustrated from what the Spirits had told her last night, however. All they got was a strange, cryptic message that was even more confusing than the Dark Echo prophecy. The dark she-cat still remembered the Water Spirit's words: _"For the flame to be rekindled, burdens must be carried upon, another path walked with all."_ Echopaw kept on repeating those words over and over in her head, but they just made less and less logical sense every time. She remembered that they came here for a possible hope for getting some words of much-needed sagely advice from the Spirits of Knowledge, but even _they_ didn't have a solution.

Now going back to the present, Echopaw noticed that Bracken wasn't in the den anymore. _He must have woken up,_ she thought with curiosity. All the purple-eyed she-cat was worried about right now is if her brother was getting into any trouble. Ever since he became friends with Breezepaw, he had a brash end of daring and much more curiosity...but also foolishness with it.

She walked out of the den quietly, making sure to not to wake up Chieftain or Breezepaw. Wandering through the crystal corridors, Echopaw felt a hint of dread as she walked through the massive, echo-like Cave of Shadows. Everything was darker at night, and much _scarier._ Sinister shadows came at every corner, increasing her fear greatly. Taking a deep breath, she followed Bracken's scent trail.

Bracken's scent led her to an even darker hallway and it seemed like he veered a sharp right through a dark, seemingly empty room. She noticed that the letters _Dark Echo_ were arranged next to entrance, and she was let in.

Inside the dark room it was hard to see at first, and the odd, sinister whispers added trepidation to her immense worry for her brother. Squinting her eyes, Echopaw noticed a faint emerald glint in the center coming from a small, oddly-shaped stone.

And next to it, about to take it-was Bracken.

A surge of sudden energy came from her and she tackled Bracken to the ground before he could touch the stone. She just had this strange intuition that it any cat moved it, something bad would happen.

"Wha- _Echo?_ Where am I?" Her tawny-furred brother came back to his senses, so he probably was manipulated into doing whateverhe was trying to do.

"You were about to break that green stone," Echopaw meowed, confused by Bracken's stupidity. He could have been manipulated, but what caused it? "Let's just get out of this room before you do something crazy again."

Her brother walked out with her without complaint and then told the she-cat what happened. "I woke up, and I kept on hearing this whisper in my head. It was...enthralling, in a way. Anyway, it then told me 'right. Dark Echo.' So I unlocked the door and then the whisper became a bunch of whispers, and the only two words I could hear was 'Harmony Stone.' Then something weird happened. I don't know, I just spazzed out for a minute. And then you tackled me."

Echopaw thought intently with deep consideration. "Wait...that stone you just saw? I think it's the Harmony Stone."

Bracken listened intently, ears pricked.

"I saw it in a vision when we were back in the Tribe. River brought me, Breezepaw, and Moonpaw to his den. Remember?"

"Yeah. I didn't know it was about some kind of vision, though. River didn't tell me anything."

"I saw that stone and apparently I will break it in anger sometime in the future...but I'm not mad at it at all. It's just a stone."

"Anything else that you saw besides that Harmony Stone?"

"There was a weird symbol that looked exactly like the huge one in the large Meeting Room, and I saw illusion Tabi die. There was a bunch of skeletons in some sandy territory and a cat died from it."

Bracken shook his head violently, struggling to comprehend what he just heard. "Wow...that's pretty dark stuff. I'm surprised you haven't gone insane yet, Echo."

Echopaw was about to say something else until she heard Breezepaw's voice interrupt their conversation. "There you are! I was so worried!" the tabby tom exclaimed, looking only at her and not noticing that Bracken was standing right next to her.

Luckily Breezepaw noticed without Bracken or her making some witty remark. "Oh-hey Bracken. Nice to know you're still alive," he said semi-casually. Echopaw rolled her eyes. _He could be such a dork sometimes._

"Anyway, why are you guys out here this late at night? And-wait, what is that weird whisper?"

"Ignore it, Breezepaw," Bracken warned. "I almost brought destruction to everyone just listening to it."

The green-eyed tabby tom's eyes widened and nodded. "Okay, so are we going to tell Chieftain about whatever you guys just saw?"

"Yes."

The three cats then walked back to the dark den. It now had barely any light, but thank StarClan they were cats so they could see either way. Chieftain was now awake at the sound of their unusually loud pawsteps, meowing, "Where you guys been?"

Bracken then explained the entire story about the Harmony Stone as Chieftain and Breezepaw both listened carefully. Echopaw let her mind wander off, but a certain voice cut off her thoughts.

 _Hello, Echo,_ the voice sneered. It was Traya's. _Remember me? We haven't really had a conversation like this._

"Get out of my head," the dark she-cat muttered angrily.

 _I'd rather not._ Traya's voice increased the anger and pain Echopaw had in her heart. _Well, let's see each other in person, shall we?_ The female spirit reappeared, this time surprisingly not in Moonpaw's body, but in her true form. Dark purple entrails came from her paws, eyes, and tail. Her eyes were a cold yellow color, and they mocked her. To her shock, Echopaw noticed that Breezepaw, Bracken, and Chieftain didn't even notice Traya. _I must be hallucinating again._

But it all seemed real. Real, it was definitely real. Echopaw ignored her gut and unsheathed her claws, preparing to fight.

 _Catch me if you can, Echo,_ Traya cackled with evil, and she suddenly disappeared. Wait-she can teleport?

Echopaw darted her eyes warily, struggling to ignore the dark, sinister feeling she felt with the shadows late at this hour. On top of all of that, if it's this dark, it must be the Witching Hour.

 _Over here, Echo._ Traya's voice made her even angrier as she followed the source of the sound, and realized she was sitting on a pedestal with a smirk.

Echopaw's rage got the best of her. She didn't know that she was in the same room where Bracken was. She also didn't know that the Harmony Stone normally sat on that pedestal.

Bringing on the battle cry, Echopaw ran as fast as she could, jumped, and kicked Traya straight into the chest. The dark she-cat stood triumphantly over Traya, preparing the final blow.

 _Ah, Echo, you are the foolish one here._ Then as fast the blink of an eye Traya disappeared.

Echopaw gasped with horror at the sight. The sacred green stone was now shattered into hundreds of pieces. She noticed that a weird sound was coming out of it too. It sounded like...a ticking bomb?

Before Echopaw could run away, an extremely deafening wave of sound ruptured her eardrums and knocked her out on the cold, hard floor. Those three words crept their way back into her head: _Harmony Stone. Shattered._

 _So that's what my vision meant..._

She slowly regained consciousness to see Messenger staring at her with panic in her eyes. "Echopaw, you need to get out of here! _Now!"_

"W-why?" Echopaw asked, mildly curious and partly afraid at the same time.

"The Harmony Stone protected any hostile being to set foot on this territory. Now that it's broken, Darkness, Traya, and their Dark Warriors can attack...and there's something else..."

"Oh no...what is it this time?"

"You're not going to like it..." The green-eyed she-cat that was unnaturally panicky took a deep breath. "The Spirits of Knowledge...they..." She choked. "They're _dead."_

The word _dead_ echoed ominously through the entire crystal Cave of Shadows. At this time, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Chieftain-holding the glass jar-ran as fast as they could to Messenger and Echopaw. "We just saw the Spirits...you're not going to like it."

The four led her to another empty hallway and motioned to an opened den. As the black she-cat's purple irises widened with horror at the sight, she felt robbed of her sanity _and_ anything that could save them from Darkness.

As she turned around slowly, all she could remember was the remnants of the Spirits: a pit of dirt with ice covered over it, fire on one half and lightning-infested water containing four-leaf clovers. Echopaw was about to say something, but then an intense shaking knocked everyone off of their feet.

"We have to get you all out of here- _now!_ Without the Spirits, the Cave of Shadows will cease to exist and become a pile of ruins!" Messenger's yowl was filled with horror. "Go check the entrance."

Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Chieftain ran up to the small entrance of the crumbling cave, spotting a lot of battle-hungry hostile Dark Warriors. And it included Darkness and Traya.

"We need to get out of here before we are captured, brought back to the Underworld, and executed again!" Bracken shouted against the falling debris, backing up quickly after a rock almost hit his head.

The other three ran with Bracken back to Messenger, who was pacing and muttering something to herself. She looked up and meowed, "It's about time! Darkness and his forces are probably up there, right?"

They all nodded with fear, eyes wide.

"So now it's time to activate the secret exit! Everyone, stand a symbol of the Spirits of Knowledge, quickly!" The four questing cats all complied and Messenger stepped on the fifth symbol (the sixth was mysteriously erased after the meeting).

Adding to the rumbling an entrance formed behind the symbols. "Hurry, hurry!" the green-eyed she-cat exclaimed urgently. "Run out of there as fast as you can."

All four of them ran out of there, until Echopaw stopped and looked back. Messenger was still standing at the entrance, unmoving. "Messenger, you need to get out of here too!"

The green-eyed she-cat's eyes were now rid of terror and now determined. "I have another way," she mewed mysteriously, and she backed off, crystallized rocks then cutting off the entrance back to the Cave of Shadows.

The dark she-cat felt the pain and loss, but she knew they all had to keep on going. She then ran after her allies and friends down the seemingly endless tunnel...until a bright light shone from the surface.

"It's up there! The surface is up there!" Breezepaw's voice couldn't have been more comforting at this time.

They all ran frantically out, not stopping. At this time Echopaw noticed that there were a lot, and she meant _a lot_ of gopher holes. She ran as far from any of the holes as possible, catching up to the brown tabby tom.

Breezepaw suddenly tripped and fell awkwardly, yowling with pain. "Oh no, what happened?!"

Echopaw noticed that the green-eyed tom's front left paw was twisted awkwardly. She was about to help him when Breezepaw stood up, gritting his teeth and keeping his injured paw close to his chest. "Don't worry about me!" He exclaimed, face still twisted with pain. "Let's just get out of here before we all get captured and die!"

The dark she-cat looked at Breezepaw with worry and love, but he even told her to go on. She reluctantly began running with the others, who were running more slowly than usual due to Breezepaw's injury. By some miracle from StarClan, they made it past the blockade, and their pace slowed down after the fierce yowls of Darkness, Traya, and the other Dark Warriors have silenced due to the distance.

Breezepaw was obviously having a hard time, but when anyone asked if he needed help he coldly pushed them away. Echopaw's worry for him was getting worse by the minute. The brown tabby tom was obviously exhausted, but his determined eyes showed that he wasn't going to stop.

Many long, exhausting hours later Breezepaw collapsed next to a large, sheltered oak tree. "I think I'm done with traveling for the day," he meowed, out of breath.

Everyone was glad that the stubborn yet persistent tabby tom finally stopped for a rest, as no cat could stand him walking with pain like that. However Breezepaw's injury was holding them back and the cats would be traveling for twice as long as it took them to get to the Cave of Shadows in the first place.

Echopaw sighed as she lay down next to an already-asleep Breezepaw and looked at the night sky, stars starting to show on the dark blue expanse. She prayed to StarClan that they would find a way to go home soon.


	24. Return Home, part 1

It was now the around the middle of the day, the sun high in the sky. Breezepaw's injured leg was starting to get better thanks to some stinging nettle leaves Chieftain had found earlier.

Echopaw, personally, just was sick and tired of the journey. The dark she-cat never wanted to go back home so badly before.

 _Home._ Despite the pain and soreness in her paw pads, that word-to actually _have_ a home, a place to sleep, somewhere safe, and with cats and friends you love-was the greatest gift she could ever receive. Except for Breezepaw, of course.

As she looked at Breezepaw, Echopaw knew the brown tabby tom had drastically changed and grown since day one. He flirted less, and now he seemed to obtain a greater degree of maturity that she thought he would ever get in a lifetime, and only a few moons had passed since she had last seen IceClan.

Muscles on his body were starting to grow and become more outwardly visible on his pelt, and it was one of the many stages that Breezepaw was going through during his growing-up stage. Echopaw even had to admit that his voice was starting to get just a little deeper.

But no matter what happened to the green-eyed tabby tom, she would always love him.

As the purple-eyed she-cat turned to look at Bracken, she knew he looked a little pensive. His head was hung low, him being a slightly noticeable distance away from the group, and it seemed like he was muttering to himself. Echopaw already knew what was going on. He was fretting over Moonpaw again.

Bracken's crush on the silver she-cat wasn't the most subtle or the most obvious either. But the young apprentice always knew what was on her brother's mind, and she could tell the tawny-colored tom truly did care about Moonpaw. And most of his feelings could be barely explained into words.

But love wasn't the most important thing on any cat's minds right now. With every step they took, it seemed like Breezepaw's condition was growing worse and worse. Echopaw's greatest fear was that his sprained leg could get so swollen that it would never heal again.

Breezepaw, however, looked unrelenting and pushed on until late in the afternoon, in which they had recently passed by Rose's Twolegplace. The pain in the tabby tom's leg finally became too much for him too ignore and he sat down gingerly, vibrant green eyes weakened from the intense pain.

Everyone displayed their worry for the tabby tom, even Chieftain looked concerned. The black-and-white spotted older tom was about to say something, but then held against it as Breezepaw's challenging glare showed them that he wasn't going to take any pity. Everyone knew, though, that the stubborn tabby tom would eventually ask for help or face the consequence.

At this time, Echopaw felt like they were going for a lost cause. Darkness was an imminent threat to all of the Clans, and the evil spirit had easy access to both the Overworld _and_ the Underworld.

Everything seemed hopeless now. With Breezepaw's injury, if they traveled, it would both slow them down and the injury would get worse; if they waited for it to heal, they would have no idea how long they would have to wait for the brown tabby tom to be fit for travel again.

As they had a break, Echopaw uttered a silent prayer to Flame and StarClan: _Flame, StarClan, please make sure we can find a way to get home, and Breezepaw's injury will heal soon._

The dark she-cat knew they had to hurry to warn the Clans about Darkness' threat and to prepare them for any upcoming battles that could inevitably happen. They were all in a serious matter of fighting or dying; it was no longer a game. For Echopaw, it was _never_ a game. Time was running out, and it was a luxury they all couldn't afford to squander with this situation.

The actual gravity of the situation at hand was much worse than it seemed. Dark Warriors could be at any point and time; in fact, they could be spying on them right now, reporting any findings they had back to Darkness.

She remembered that they were nearby Rose, and for a moment the purple-eyed she-cat considered going to Rose and seeing the Twoleg vet for something to help Breezepaw's wound. It seemed like herbs wasn't helping that well. However, she quickly changed her mind at the thought of trusting a _Twoleg_ for saving the one she loved. Twolegs had abused and tortured her in the past, and there were some extremely unpleasant memories that were both ingrained and scarred into her mind.

A loud gasp cut off any silence the air contained. She and the others all turned to Bracken, who was staring upwards with a mixed expression of awe and fear. As Echopaw craned her neck toward where Bracken was looking, she saw a blinding light with a great luminosity descending upon them. _What in the name of StarClan was that?!_

"Do not be afraid," an all-too familiar loud, sage-like voice boomed calmly.

Opening her eyes slightly, she smiled upon seeing Flame's descending starlit figure standing triumphantly ahead of them. His shadow almost had scintillating glow to his presence.

Flame then began to speak his word to the weary travelers: "I knew it may seem hopeless now, but StarClan is with you and guiding you. Look around at each other at how far you've come. Fate brought you all here to this very moment, and with the help of StarClan and I, fate will bring you out of this situation."

"How can we _possibly_ come back to the Clans before Darkness reaches them? It's not like we can _wish_ ourselves out of this." Breezepaw had hobbled closer to Flame and beside Bracken, his tone impervious. "At our rate this will take us _twice_ the amount of time it took us to get to the Cave of Shadows in the first place."

The Peacemaker shot a partly exasperated glance at the tabby tom before addressing them all once again. "There is a way that can get you all back home faster than you would ever imagine." The red-orange tom turned to Echopaw. "Echo, remember when I told you that it would take you a quarter moon to get to the Cave of Shadows?"

The purple-eyed she cat was confused, but still nodded. "Yes, but as you can tell we're not back home yet."

"There is a way to get you all homesafely in a week or less, but few of the chosen Echos had used this method. Only on other Echo had attempted this, but I will warn you-it is dangerous," Flame explained.

"How so?" Bracken asked, intrigued.

"The Echo who attempted to do this unfortunately perished. The ones who take you home require you to pass a series of challenges to prove you are worthy to do this. And the ones who can help you are definitely not everyday allies you would be willing to trust easily."

"Okay, just spill the beans," Breezepaw demanded. "Who _are_ they?"

Flame sighed regretfully. "Wolves...the Alpha Pack."

Bracken and Breezepaw immediately protested, and Echopaw was taken aback by both shock and confusion. She had heard vicious, gruesome stories about the wolves. A group of cats had gone missing one day, and a moon later their rotting caracasses were found with at least one limb torn off and ripped to shreds... _each._ The musky scent of wolf was found immediately on the dead bodies.

"Tell them that I had sent you, and they won't hurt you...hopefully." Flame meowed in a quick attempt to cover up what he told them about the wolves. "I will give the Alpha a sign, and all you have to do is...well, get captured so you can meet the Alpha."

Echopaw noticed he said the last part uncomfortably faster. "Wait," she meowed. "Did you just say that we have to get captured to meet the Alpha?"

"Yes," he mewed quickly, as if they were running out of time. Truthfully they _were_ running short of time, but half of the group was protesting at the same time.

Breezepaw and Bracken continued to protest, and this time Echopaw joined in. "Flame...isn't this plan of yours a little too crazy?"

"What crazy is odds of ours right now," Chieftain finally chimed in after staying silent the entire time. The former Dark Warrior seemed to be in deep thought and concentration. "Must trust Flame. This our only way to IceClan."

After some thinking over, Echopaw, Bracken, and even Breezepaw reluctantly agreed. This was their only chance to both get home, to get Breezepaw some proper medical care, and also for them to warn the Clans in time for the war that would happen very soon into the future.

After Flame was entirely sure that they all agreed on the plan, he instructed them to where the Alpha Pack was located. The green-eyed Peacemaker had told the traveling cats that they were slightly west of where the sun set. It would not take long; the pack was at most a two-day travel.

Later that night, Echopaw closed her eyes and thanked Flame and StarClan for their opportunity to come home, even if it could mean possible death. It was worth a shot to make sure that the Clans-her new home and family-were safe and sound, and also prepared for Darkness.

As she stared off at the almost pitch-black darkness with only the dim-lit moon and faint twinking stars providing light, she felt, or rather, _heard_ something strange. Echopaw swore that she had heard the Peacemaker Echo's voice whispering into her left ear. The Peacemaker's prophetic words gave her a cold, dreadful chill down her spine:

 _"Do not fear, for the hour is near when Darkness will be shattered. An echo, breeze, and a moon will come together to ensure peace and harmony forever."_


	25. Return Home, part 2

They had set out early in the day, their eagerness to go home increasing by the minute. The journey went actually much more smoothly than Echopaw had expected: despite Breezepaw's limping, he hobbled faster than usual, as if he was in a hurry to get home. They were all in a hurry to get back home, of course, with Darkness's ever-present growing threat, but Breezepaw was of the most eager and impatient out of all of them. Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Chieftain were now standing at the periphery of the wolf pack's camp. Taking a deep, shaky breath, the dark she-cat placed a tentative paw in the Alpha Pack's territory.

 _Silence._

Echopaw sighed with relief, and she signaled the others to follow her. Only a few seconds later, however, an nerve-racking howl gave the black she-cat chills from her nose to the very tip of her tail. A uneasy feeling of dread crept up to her, and she smelled fear-scents rising from all Bracken, Breezepaw, and even Chieftain, an experienced warrior. It seemed like the Dark Warriors even feared the prominent threat of the wolves.

"Stop right there!" a deep, growling voice spoke-surprisingly-in Cat. It belonged to one of a wolf's. Everyone halted with the distinct scent of fear spreading from their pelts like wildfire. They were about to become fresh-kill on a silver platter.

Echopaw's eyes widened in fear as a patrol of about five wolves stepped out of the tall shrubs, eyes hostile and teeth glistening. All members of the patrol towered over the small, weak band of travelers. One of the younger she-wolves on the patrol attempted to lunge forward, massive jaws open, but was pulled back by an older wolf. The older wolf reprimanded the younger one, the younger wolf's eyes submissive like a kit in trouble. The older wolf spoke in their native language, but she heard the older one address the she-wolf as "Mara."

"What are you Tribe cats doing here?" The leader's voice was eerily calm yet threatening, still speaking in Cat so they would understand. Bracken stepped forward and was about to defend both him and the others, but was cut off by the she-wolf called "Mara."

"How about we kill them now, leave the Tribe of Infinite Knowledge a message?" Mara suggested in a sinister tone, baring her deadly fangs. Bracken immediately flinched from the she-wolf's threat, hiding behind Chieftain in the back and his fur raised.

The patrol leader sniffed them closely, bumbling into them as if he couldn't see. Wait... _could_ he see? Echopaw was curious to look up at the tall, dark gray wolf, but her fear of wolves kept her rooted in place, and by some miracle she didn't run away.

The dark gray wolf finished his quasi-examination. "We should bring them to Alpha first," he growled slowly, as if still in deep thought. Echopaw felt the welcoming feeling of relief temporarily flood through her. He then continued:

"One of them's got a broken paw. _Pathetic."_

The dark she-cat looked back to her crush and lover; Breezepaw hung his head low, obviously looking ashamed.

The patrol leader, shoving his nose back into their faces, he concluded: "There's only one of them with Tribe stench anyway. The older one seems like he's been living in this territory his whole life, and the last two smell like..." He growled the last part. "... _Clan cats."_

Lots of gasps escaped from the members of the patrol. _They must have something against Clan cats...or have had a past with them._ Echopaw hoped that it wasn't something bad.

They ordered the travelers to follow them, and they were led to a camp hidden deep into the large forest nearby. Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Chieftain were all huddled in a smaller group with the patrol surrounding them as they walked to the camp and then into the only part of the camp that was in a cave and covered.

Lying down on an elevated rock was a tall, dark brown wolf with cold yellow eyes, staring at the patrol that was bringing them there. Flicking its tail side to side, his glinting eyes showing no form of expression of any kind. "What are you cats doing here?" he questioned in a flat tone.

Breezepaw hobbled to the front of the group. "We came in search of your help," he meowed submissively. "We need your help to get us home."

The wolf's gaze looked around the lines of _And why should we help you?_ but the patrol leader whispered something into his ear, and he nodded. "So you're Clan cats, aren't you?" The Alpha growled.

"Well...she and I are," Breezepaw meowed, gesturing to Echopaw.

Turning towards her, he continued, "And I presume you're Echo?"

Echopaw nodded, but her face showed her shock and confusion. "How did you know?"

Alpha half-shrugged. "The only other time Clan cats were here was with the Echo. Of course, when they performed the trials, they lost their sanity and died." His tone was casual, as if it was almost always supposed to happen.

Examining her, he noted, "But I think you will be different than that arrogant Echo. You all seem like well-qualifying candidates," he growled, but after seeing Breezepaw, he added, " _almost_ all of you."

"So what trials will we have to face?" Bracken asked.

Alpha's head whipped over to the tawny-colored tom, and piercing yellow eyes stared intently at his. "Oh no, it's not _we._ The Echo is the one who is the elected representative for ALL of you. Any other questions?" He waited around half a second, and growled, "No? Then the trials shall commence in a few hours."

As the meeting was dismissed and Alpha jumped off of the rock to talk to a few other wolves, Echopaw and the others found themselves being beckoned to a small space outside of the cave next to a tree stump hidden by some tall reeds.

The other wolves of the Alpha pack gave occasional glances of blatant mistrust when they thought Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Chieftain weren't looking.

A young wolf pup, not much younger than Echopaw, Breezepaw, and Bracken, walked up tentatively towards them, showing the same lack of trust that all of the other wolves did. "Who are you?" the pup surprisingly barked in Cat. _Did these wolves somehow learn Cat?_

"We're cats," Echopaw meowed cooly, voice unwavering. She held up an almost challenging glance to the pup, just in case if it was to inflict any harm on her or her friends.

"Yes, but who are _you?"_ The pup asked, intelligence glittering in its bright yellow eyes. "Why did you come here?"

"Does your Alpha tell you anything?" Echopaw inquired, to which the pup shook its head. "In that case, we're here to get help to get home."

"Your first trial will be to stare at that rock wall," Alpha growled, with what seemed like a cross between a smile and a smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth. "Crag will keep watch while you do the trial," he added, gesturing to the senior wolf next to him.

"Your time starts now," Crag barked as Alpha left the tunnel.

For the first hour that passed, Echopaw concentrated and focused on the wall, looking and analyzing every crack, every imperfection that was engraved into the hard surface. She thought of nothing else except sheer determination to to whatever it took to get back home.

The second hour was when the impatience started to set into her mind. She felt unsettled, shifty, and irritated for staring at the rock wall for so long. It almost seemed like Echopaw memorized every little ornate detail that made up the rough material.

Another hour passed. Echopaw's irrritation and impatience was starting to get the best of her now. She tried to assure herself that she was doing this for her friends, to spare pain...and to also help Breezepaw so his injury could be healed. _For the greater good._

Thirty minutes flew by slowly. The quiet was too much and she had to stop. With a growl of frustration, she exclaimed, "Okay, that's it! I'm done staring at this wall!"

Looking at Crag, the old wolf gave her a pained half-smile and chuckled. "Oh, Echopaw," he laughed lightly. "Such an impulsive young one you are." He then slinked back into the shadows as Alpha came forward, his eyes still emotionless. "Come with me to your next challenge."

She was led outside of the cave, where the crickets were chirping and the dark night sky showed the beauties of the night. When they stopped, Alpha explained the next trial.

"The second trial," he rumbled, "is to climb up that tree," he continued, gesturing to the spruce in front of them, "and hop from tree to tree until you can see the Tribe of Infinite Knowledge from here."

"But what if I slip and fall?"

"That is why you have to be careful." Alpha's tone was unsympathetic. "If you want to get home, this is the only way-or risk your friend having to amputate his leg."

Echopaw's eyes widened with fear at the wolf's cold, harsh words, and immediately climbed into the tree. Thanks to the journey, her stamina was good and her athletic build was well-shaped. Sure, cats did have night vision, but her bangs covered her other eye.

After bounding from tree to tree, with almost joy radiating off of her pelt from the cool, calm wind blowing in her face, she paused at the top of a tree to look around, her bangs now not covering her eyes.

And that was when she realized something with horror:

She couldn't see in her other eye.

Now she realized why she was born with bangs: to cover up her blindness. _I really am a freak,_ she thought miserably. _A bastard kit who is half-blind and left for dead by her parents._

Looking up at the stars, she cried to StarClan in a loud voice: "Why did you curse me?! What have I done to you? I sanctify you, I believe and trust in you, and you give me the weight of the world on my shoulders?!"

Through her outburst, she didn't notice that there was no branch underneath her paws anymore, and she fell with a shrieked, frightened yowl. _At least this will be the end of me. I'll die and I won't feel anymore pain._

As she closed her eyes, letting the shadow of death consume her, she was awakened by the soft cries of StarClan as she landed softly in a mossy shrub.

"Oh, _now_ you help me," Echopaw grumbled with annoyance. She failed her trial... _again._

Later that evening, after Alpha had brought her back into the cave for her third trial, she questioned if all of this was really worth it. _Was it?_

"Now, before you go to sleep, you must face your greatest fear for your third trial," Alpha instructed.

 _Wow, no wonder the other Echo died when doing these trials. She probably died in her sleep from being traumatized._

He lead her to a crystal-clear pool, not able to see the bottom. It was almost like a mirror.

"This pool knows your deepest thoughts and feelings and your heart at a glance from seeing it," Alpha growled. "Take a drink from the pool to begin the trial."

Echopaw took a long, deep breath as she put her tongue in the water.

 _Fear..._

Her foster mother, the cat who lied to her in her entire lifetime, stared at her mockingly and vanished.

 _Pain..._

Darkness then appeared in what seemed like the Clan camp, damaging and devastating any form of life on sight.

 _Suffering..._

There...a bright light...

 _Echobreeze, now a warrior, looked around, frightened in the midst of a chaotic battle._

 _The sky dark as night, distant screams being cut off by the pungent stench of death rang in her ears and nose. She then vigorously fought against a Dark Warrior, her moves smooth and flowing like water. Blood stained her vision, but she spared the Dark Warrior with its desperate pleas, nearly killing him in the process._

 _Looking over she saw Breezenight and Moonlight...both now warriors with her, fighting alongside her in the seemingly hopeless battle._

 _Even more yowls and screams from countless other cats erupted when Darkness appeared from the dead grass, everything darker and colorless when in view. He sneaked up on Breezenight, who was still fighting another Dark Warrior. Echobreeze tried to yowl him a warning, but she suddenly couldn't speak_ or _move._

 _Darkness's paw raised up, claws extended, and slashed right into Breezenight's side. The tawny-colored tom fell and crumpled to the ground, weak and gasping for air._

 _Echobreeze rushed toward her mate, crying, the tears flooding down her eyes. "Breezy, please, hold on!" she meowed urgently and desperately. In a futile attempt to keep her lover awake, she violently shook him._

 _Through the tears, Breezenight's eyes opened up a slit and he smiled weakly up at her. "Smile, my love," he whispered weakly, paw gently caressing her face. "If I die today...I want you to know one thing, Echo.."_

 _"What is that?" Echobreeze cried softly, her tears dripping onto her mate's large, red gash. He wasn't going to make it..._

 _"I-I love you with all of my heart," he mewed solemnly. "Never forget that. A-and," he added, his voice cracking, "I want us to start a family..."_

 _His eyes closed and he breathed his last, final breath._

 _"Breezenight!" Echobreeze yowled, pain and sorrow in her tone. Her purple eyes now bloodshot, she hissed, "Darkness will pay for what he did."_

 _Her sanity gone, she mercilessly slaughtered anyone in her path, claws digging into raw flesh. Echobreeze was satisfied at the bittersweet taste of revenge. Despite their pleas, she killed and killed, blood scattering the battle-torn field._

 _She saw herself as she kept on murdering..._

 _...A monster..._

Echopaw woke up and gasped, sobbing. "No...Breezepaw was gone..." she hitched through her cries.

Surprisingly, Alpha came up to her and put a comforting, large paw on her shoulder. "Don't worry," he growled in a deep voice. "You passed the third trial. There is only one more tomorrow...don't give up...get some rest..."

That night, Echopaw didn't get any sleep. The pain was too much for the horrifying images she had ingrained in her mind.


	26. Return Home, part 3

Daylight came all too soon, Echopaw restless and a little tired from lack of sleep. She really wished that Alpha didn't have her take the third trial that time. The images were still occasionally popping into her mind and sometimes it frightened her. Echopaw walked uncertainly into the cave, where Bracken and Alpha were both standing, waiting for her.

 _Okay, what is Alpha up to? He wouldn't talk to Bracken at all,_ the dark she-cat thought to herself. This couldn't be good.

"Echopaw, are you ready for your fourth and final trial?" he growled, and Echopaw nodded. "Good. Your last trial is a one-on-one trial with your brother," the large wolf explained. "Claws unsheathed. We will tend to your wounds you may have after the battle."

The two siblings walked a distance, stopped, and waited for the signal. As Alpha signaled that the trial would start, for the first few heartbeats, neither of them moved.

After Echopaw knew that Bracken wasn't going to make the first move, she ran, hissed, and leaped in midair, claws out and ready. Bracken dodged with great grace and agility as Echopaw fell face first to the ground. Claws dug into her pelt and she yowled in anguish from the pain.

Quickly getting back onto her feet, she couldn't seem to find Bracken. Darting her gaze around frantically, a great weight pounced on her back and suffocated her, with the wild and uncontrolled scent of Bracken on her back. She continued to struggle, but to no avail.

"Is that all you can do?" Alpha mocked. "How _pathetic."_

With a hiss of frustration, Echopaw rolled out of Bracken's grasp and bit his tail, to which her brother screamed and almost whimpered in pain. Her eyes wild, she scratched his face dangerously close to his eye.

"Such a failure," Alpha lamented. "And to think cats believed in you..."

"No, I'm not!" Echopaw exclaimed indignantly and angrily, dodging Bracken's blow to her head.

"Sure," Alpha continued, tone unsympathetic. "That's what you say. But no, that isn't the truth, isn't it?"

Bracken manage to bite deeply into Echopaw's shoulder, hissing from the immense pain, vision hazy-and so was her judgment. "Of course it isn't! I have been lied to my entire life, and yet I am tasked to attempt to save the world!"

"Whatever." Alpha casually licked a paw. "That's _so_ difficult," he continued sarcastically.

"It _is_ difficult!" she exclaimed, tone adamant. "A regular cat like me wouldn't do this! I'm almost nine moons old and I'm running away from the most powerful being in the universe!" She stopped fighting Bracken and in anger, leaped for the large wolf's neck.

Alpha batted her away casually as if she were a small, useless toy. Like as if it almost was _fun._ Like if it was a _game._

"I have to live up to the expectations. I have to do this to save everyone! Fellow cats close to me were killed thanks to the curse I have! I'm a wretched _curse!"_

She continued to attempt to scratch or land _any_ kind of blow on Alpha in several futile attempts. In the dark she-cat's frenzy, her heart couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't hold it in.

Echopaw broke down and wept for everything that had happened. There was so much loss...and Moonpaw, one of her closest friends, didn't even have her own body.

As she continued to sob, Bracken rushed up to her and licked her wounds to attempt to comfort her. After a while, Alpha then walked up to her. "You are not alone, Echopaw," he growled deeply. "That's your mindset...but your friends are here to help you...and so is the Alpha Pack."

Echopaw looked up and dried her tears. "W-wait," she hitched. "Really?"

Alpha nodded. "Congratulations. You have passed the fourth and final trial."

"B-but I h-haven't really passed a-anything," the dark she-cat sniffled. "I-I failed."

The leader of the Alpha Pack let out a small chuckle. "The thing is, Echopaw...that was the purpose. To _fail."_

Echopaw gave Alpha a pure look of confusion.

"Any cat who was really the chosen Echo would have failed the majority, if not _all,_ of those tests. There are three things to know that all Echos share: one, they're pessimistic; two, they don't trust easily; and three, they give up if things don't go the right way."

"Also," he added, "I told Breezepaw your combative weaknesses."

 _Bracken had just woke up early that morning, keeping Moonpaw's jar containing her spirit safe in a secret hiding place he found nearby. He looked down on himself at the river, staring intently at his reflection. Last night, he heard his sister mumbling something about them. Echopaw's eyes were half-closed, saying how she and him were "bastard kits" who didn't deserve to exist. Bracken didn't know much about his parents, but he was sure they didn't mean that._

Echopaw is just going through a tough time, that's all, _Bracken thought to himself. However, he knew that it wouldn't be enough to convince himself that._

 _Alpha then came up to the tawny-colored tom, and Bracken's eyes widened. The large wolf hadn't paid any attention to him from since when they first met, and it seemed like he intended to keep it that way. However, he growled, "Come with me."_

 _When they were in a private space, Bracken was completely confused as Alpha explained to him all of his sister's weaknesses-some of which he already knew. The dark brown wolf taught him specific moves in combat that would definitely knock her off and defeat her._

 _After the "lesson," Alpha pushed him up against the wall and growled threateningly in a low voice, "Don't tell anyone of what you have learned. Use it in the final trial, and don't hold back. Because if you do, I'll make sure you'll regret it."_

 _Bracken nodded absentmindedly, eyes wide as Alpha let him go and the tom then ran away from the cave as fast as he could._

Later, right back at sundown the next night, Alpha introduced, Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Chieftain to the mysterious wolf known as the Scriptwriter. To be honest, he wasn't actually a wolf, as one of the other members tried to explain, but rather a cross between a wolf and a being. _Like Darkness,_ she had thought.

"Let the ceremony begin," Alpha announced as the wolves started their howling chant and the travelers were placed in their assigned positions.

Pride and joy came from Alpha's yellow eyes, all wolves howling as the Scriptwriter signaled Echopaw, Breezepaw, Bracken, and Chieftain to put their paws on the rock, with the entirety of the Alpha Pack then chanting ancient words in Wolf. A blinding white light started to creep its way into Echopaw's vision, and it engulfed her as she heard the last words from Alpha: _"We will be with you when you need us most."_

The first thing Echopaw heard when waking up from consciousness was a painful ringing as she lifted her heavy head with a small grunt. The white haze in her vision was now gone; they were now in a very familiar forest area, the cold yet welcoming white snow fresh on her paws.

 _Home..._

Looking back at her friends and brother, who were still knocked out cold, she felt a surge of excitement as the dark she-cat desperately poked and prodded them to wake up. A few heartbeats later, they were all awake, their faces in a form of a grimace due to the pain in their ears.

"Wake up!" she meowed eagerly. "We're back in IceClan territory!"

Breezepaw's eyes brightened at the prospect of finally being home, and ran toward the camp like a happy kit. She, Bracken, and Chieftain all chased after the green-eyed tabby tom who was already several fox-lengths ahead. Of course, a morning patrol happened to spot them:

"What are you doing here, intruder?" A familiar voice-Skyflower's-was identified in Echopaw's ears. _She must have caught Breezepaw acting like a kit,_ Echopaw thought with amusement.

As they ran to where Skyflower and the rest of the IceClan patrol were, the IceClan cats whipped their heads coldly, eyes ready to use any means necessary to get the supposed "intruders" out. Suddenly, the hostile look in the silver she-cat's eyes was wiped away completely. "Echopaw?" She whispered, as if she couldn't believe that she was standing in front of her at this very moment. Turning to Breezepaw, she told them, voice breaking, "We thought you were dead."

Echopaw's heart stopped for a moment. She rushed towards her mother figure and wrapped her tail around her shoulder as the tears streamed down the warrior's face. Breezepaw joined in the touching embrace as they all sobbed into another, the pale dawn sky beginning to take its form, the sun casting a long shadow.

As they all came back to the IceClan camp, Echopaw was sure of one thing that day:

She was _home._


	27. Next

Echopaw opened her eyes to see the long-awaited rocky camp she now called home. Not too much had changed in the past couple of months that had passed when they were all back home _or_ the past several months when they were gone. She and Breezepaw both had official mentors now, her mentor being Poppypool and his being Stripefrost. Luckily, it seemed like their mentors were close friends, so their training sessions were mostly with each other and even mini competitions, such as who can catch the most prey, who can beat the other in a one-on-one battle with claws sheathed, of course, and also who had the sharpest senses.

Breezepaw normally won of the sharpest senses, and she won more on a one-on-one battle. However, Echopaw had to admit that they were both neck on neck for catching prey. Snowstar already assumed that they were really compatible with each other, and they almost always spent time with each other.

"Okay, Echopaw, I'm going to quiz you on the warrior code," Poppypool meowed.

Echopaw looked at her mentor eagerly, eyes wide with excitement. She had progressed greatly in her apprenticeship, and some were saying that it may be time for her warrior ceremony soon.

"Tell me the the fifth code," the golden she-cat ordered.

After some hesitation and brief thinking, Echopaw replied: "A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice."

Poppypool nodded with a bright smile. "Great job!"

"I remember that one because I wasn't even six moons old when I became an apprentice, so technically I broke the code," Echopaw half-joked.

The she-cat rolled her eyes. " _Technically_ , Echopaw, you've proven to be a great apprentice and ready to be a warrior soon. I'll talk to Snowstar about it later, but as of now I'll give you one more question and we'll meet up with Breezepaw and Stripefrost, capiche?"

"Capiche," the dark she-cat mewed in accord. She could barely contain the excitement that she was to be a warrior soon. _No more boring suffix, no more cats treating me like a kit, and no more mouse bile to take care of the elders' ticks!_ she thought joyfully.

"Okay..." Poppypool continued, distracted in her thoughts. "Tell me the first code."

 _The first code. One of the most important elemnts that make up the warrior code._ Unfortunately, she didn't remember some of the code.

"...Defend your Clan at all times...?" she asked hesitantly, unsure of her answer.

"Don't remember?" Echopaw shook her head. Her mentor then recited the first code: "Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle."

"Why can't you have romances with cats outside your own Clan?" the purple-eyed she-cat questioned. "What's the big deal that makes it forbidden?"

"Well, if you ever have to fight your lover in battle, would you like that?" Poppypool asked. "You would have to be secretive about it, and you would only be allowed with everyone's consent to see each other at Gatherings. On top of all of it, you would be punished if anyone was to find out. I'd hate to do all of that just for a love. After all, is it worth it? Even if it's for love, you would have to sacrifice everything you do and believe in."

Echopaw nodded slowly as she soaked in the information. _I guess that's right..._

"Well, we should meet up with Stripefrost and Breezepaw right about now if we're going to get some training before the Gathering tonight. Come on, let's go."

 _That's right, the Gathering was tonight!_ Echopaw knew that she was forgetting something. She would have an opportunity to see all of the other Clans-that is, if Snowstar chose her to go with the rest of the selected group of cats. The dark she-cat didn't know too much of these Gatherings that the Clans had, but from what she heard it was both amazing and fun if you were chosen to go.

As they met up with Breezepaw and his mentor, Stripefrost, the two apprentices greeted each other with a warm smile. Stripefrost turned to Poppypool with a smirk and meowed, "I bet that Breezepaw can get more fresh-kill than Echopaw in ten minutes."

"You're on," the golden and gray she-cat mewed immediately. "If I win, you can't go to the Gathering tonight, even _if_ Snowstar chooses you."

"And if _I_ win, which I obviously will, _you_ can't go to the Gathering tonight," Stripefrost shot back.

"Deal." Poppypool turned to Echopaw and Breezepaw. "Echopaw, don't let me down on this one. On your marks, get set, go!"

Both apprentices padded into the forest, keeping silent as they looked for prey. Echopaw checked for any recent tracks of prey, and to her luck she smelled rabbit around ten fox-lengths ahead. When it came into her view of vision, she learned that the rabbit was in a rabbit hole. _Time to get dirty,_ she thought ruefully, waiting patiently for the rabbit to pop its head out.

After an eternity, a white rabbit with a pink button nose popped out, and Echopaw seized her chance to attack. Pouncing on the rabbit, the small creature squealed with fear and tried to run back into the burrow, but the dark she-cat's jaws clamped on its small hind leg. The rabbit looked back at her with terror with its small, pleading beady eyes, and for a second Echopaw hesitated, feeling some regret to killing the animal. Because a couple seconds later, she delivered the killing blow with clamping her jaws around its soft neck.

She was satisfied with the mouths it could feed and it would to contribute to her mentor winning the bet, but that feeling of regret resurfaced. _Why should I have to kill an innocent life that is just like me: trying to make its way out in life, trying to survive, and supporting its family?_ Echopaw felt guilty, and she knew she always would be, but she shook off the thought and continued the hunt, burying the dead rabbit corpse in the ground to look for other prey.

When they came back, they put their prey into two separate piles.

"Well," Stripefrost meowed with a regretful sigh, "looks like you won, Poppypool."

The golden she-cat whooped as she congratulated Echopaw. Looking defeated, the other mentor and apprentice walked back dragging the prey with them while the winners walked with a skip in their step back to camp.

Later that night, Snowstar called out the cats who were to join her at the Gathering:

"Harestorm, Skypoppy, Stormdusk, Stripefrost, Wavestream, Skyflower, Riverclaw, Bracken, Chieftain, Echopaw, Breezepaw, Flamepaw, Dapplepaw, and Sparrowclaw," she announced, "come follow me to the Gathering." Looking at Jaywing, IceClan's other medicine cat, she ordered. "Jaywing, you will be in charge of the camp while we're gone."

Befroe they left, Stripefrost came up to Snowstar sheepishly. "Uh, Snowstar...I kind of can't come to the Gathering."

"Why?" Snowstar's icy purple eyes looked at the warrior, and her tone was irritable.

"I just can't," Stripefrost meowed, his head hunched over in embarrassment. "Just...can Poppypool go in my place?"

She glared at Stripefrost for a moment. "Poppypool, you're coming with us to the Gathering tonight. Stripefrost, stay here, and _you'll_ have to keep an eye on the nursery."

The tom was obviously upset from losing his bet with Poppypool, and as Snowstar brought the group to the Gathering spot, Echopaw and Breezepaw were struggling not to laugh. As they walked to the Gathering Tree, as Echopaw heard it was called, she turned to Skyflower, who happened to be walking beside her, Breezepaw, and Bracken.

"Skyflower, what happens at the Gathering?" she asked the silver she-cat with mild curiosity.

There was a pause. "Well," Skyflower explained, "it's meant to be a peaceful meeting to catch up with news from all of the other Clans. The Gathering always proceeds every full moon, and the leaders are supposed to make a truce to not fight. If they do fight, StarClan will cover the moon with clouds as a sign of their anger and disappointment, and the Gathering would be over. To be honest, Echopaw, it is truly an honor to go to the Gathering. Snowstar is only allowed to pick a small group of cats."

"That's pretty much all you need to know," Riverclaw, Skyflower's mate, joined in. "Also, remember to make plenty of friends there," the gray-and-white tom added with a genuine smile.

As Snowstar proudly led her, Breezepaw, and the other IceClan cats to the Gathering, Echopaw marveled over how big a spot could bring four different clans together. LightningClan and SwiftClan were already there; cats from all different Clans chatting amicably with each other. Two apprentices from what seemed like LightningClan and SwiftClan came forward to Echopaw and Breezepaw. They were both she-cats, and for a second Echopaw wondered if Breezepaw was a little uncomfortable by that there were no other toms with him. However, the green-eyed tabby tom seemed normal and casual. Looking closer at the apprentices, the one from LightningClan had a dark blue-black coat with a slightly lighter shade of blue in her eyes. Her coat fluffy, the she-cat smiled at her and Breezepaw.

The SwiftClan apprentice was quite the opposite. She walked with a cocky, almost stuck-up air in her step, with glittering bright green eyes, her smooth-furred pelt honey golden. The apprentice also had a single brown tip on her tail, eyes bright and seemingly innocent with a wry, seductive-like twinge to her smile. Echopaw felt uneasy for a moment, and she knew right away that the apprentice clearly wanted to take a bite out of Breezepaw.

"Hi! You guys seem new," the LightningClan apprentice commented cheerily with a bright smile. "Is this your first Gathering? This is my third. Oh, by the way, I'm Nightpaw."

Echopaw was about to tell Nightpaw that it was her first Gathering, but the SwiftClan apprentice barged in with a flirty air. She was obviously ignoring her, eyes fixed on Breezepaw. "Oh hey, Breezepaw," she meowed, a purposefully amorous gleam in her eye. "Remember me?"

The green-eyed tabby tom managed a tight but friendly smile. "Hi, Heatherpaw. Long time no see," he added with a small chuckle.

Echopaw turned and looked pointedly at Nightpaw, who just shrugged and rolled her eyes. The purple-eyed she-cat smiled at the LightningClan apprentice's mocking of her fellow friend.

Heatherpaw inched closer, intentions obviously much too flirtatious to be friendly. "I heard you went on a private mission. You know, the Clans were about to bring a patrol to go looking for you. I would have _definitely_ volunteered to see you, Breeze," she giggled with a wry twitch of her tail.

Breezepaw was obviously starting to get really uncomfortable by both the close proximity and Echopaw watching with annoyance. "Well...that's nice to hear," he mewed tightly, slowly trying to distance himself from the SwiftClan she-cat.

Echopaw decided that it was time to interrupt. "So, Heatherpaw, care to introduce yourself?" The dark she-cat noticed that her tone sounded a little bitter and twinged with the slightest bit of jealousy. Heatherpaw cast her an annoyed glance, but Breezepaw gave her a grateful look at the same time.

Only looking disgusted for just a second, she flashed an obviously fake smile to Echopaw. It was one of those smiles to try to convince someone you like that you are a nice person, but you hate that person with a burning passion. Echopaw had seen it before, and she was no stranger to it.

"I'm a SwiftClan apprentice," she meowed blandly, as if she was disinterested in the topic and she just wanted to hang out with Breezepaw. "I hunt, patrol, eat prey...pretty much what any other apprentice would do."

Nightpaw laughed nervously, blatantly exasperated from her friend's unfriendliness. "This has been a nice time getting to know you all, but I think it's time that Heatherpaw and I should go," she meowed, nudging the honey-brown apprentice. Heatherpaw let out an audible huff, but sauntered off with Nightpaw a few seconds after the LightningClan apprentice left.

"I'll talk to you later, Breezepaw!" Heatherpaw exclaimed overdramatically, as if she and Breezepaw were in a conversation the entire time.

Echopaw immediately turned to the brown tabby tom. "Okay, _what was that?!"_ she growled angrily, leading Breezepaw to a slightly more secluded corner in the covered clearing.

The green-eyed IceClan apprentice knew that he wasn't getting out of this without some answers. "It's a long story," Breezepaw tried to explain. "As you know, I was a hopeless flirt...and then I met Heatherpaw one day when she accidentally wandered out of her camp. We sort of had this thing, but it wasn't official," he added hastily to keep Echopaw from lashing out at him even more. "Don't worry, Echo, I don't have any more feelings for her now. All of _that-"_ he mewed with a flick of his tail, pointing to Heatherpaw talking to some SwiftClan toms, "-was long gone after I first met you."

The dark she-cat was still skeptical over Breezepaw's attempt to convince her that he didn't like Heatherpaw, but she begrudgingly accepted it. "Fine," she mewed, eyes still giving the brown tabby tom a warning glare. "I believe you."

The two IceClan apprentices then separated, with Echopaw and Bracken both talking to some NightClan cats (NightClan showed up during Echopaw's and Breezepaw's discussion), and Breezepaw was talking to a newly named IceClan warrior Sparrowclaw with Chieftain.

A loud yowl from one of the four Clan leaders signaled that the Gathering was now to start. All of the cats from all Clans stopped their casual conversations, looked up at the leaders, and listened intently.

"Everyone's here," Blizzardstar stated calmly. "Shall we start?"

Russetstar, the leader of NightClan, was about to step forward, but Snowstar interrupted. "I have some important news delivered by the courageous apprentices who were sent several moons ago," she announced.

A few cats gasped more with curiosity than shock, while Russetstar cast an annoyed glance at the IceClan leader. Snowstar flashed a not-so-friendly glance back at the red-furred she-cat, and Echopaw internally wondered if they had a rivalry between the two Clans.

"Anyway," Snowstar continued, "the ancient spirit Darkness has risen from its chains and is becoming a threat. The apprentices had...unfortunately had a few encounters with him and also _another spirit."_

Everyone started to panic, some apprentices yowling with fear and even some experienced warriors shocked by the overwhelming threat that they were facing.

"Wait, wait, wait," Russetstar interrupted the protesting cats from below with what seemed like a forced chuckle. "Snowstar, you're saying the spirit of all evil is somehow _alive_ and a threat to us? The Spirits of Knowledge are much more powerful than that _thing."_

The crowd grew silent, listening intently on the NightClan leader's argument.

"We have key eyewitnesses," Snowstar replied calmly, eyes stone and expressionless.

"How can we believe a ragtag bunch of untrained apprentices? They've barely even had any formal training, much less any wise words from a _real_ mentor," the green-eyed she-cat mockingly smirked.

Echopaw could sense Snowstar's anger and frustration flooding through her. _How did this rivalry even start?_

As the leaders began to argue and dispute over the matter at hand, the Clan cats watching the scene started to yowl and protest their own opinions.

"How can this Darkness be so dangerous?"

"If this _spirit_ is actually a threat, it should show itself!"

A few seconds later, a NightClan warrior yowled, "Stop fighting! What happened to the moon?!"

As the Clan cats turned to look at the only source of light, they gasped with horror as it seemed like the full moon was being covered by something _black._ It wasn't a group of clouds, but rather a black...thing.

The leaders tried to calm the rioting Clan cats, but to no avail. They were then all silenced by a foreign ringing noise.

A figure cloaked with a darkness blacker than night took a step into the entrance to the clearing, all deadly silent. For a minute, even the moonlight dimmed a little again, Echopaw even heard from a younger apprentice lamenting that the moon just disappeared for a few seconds. As she watched in horror, a familiar scarred paw set foot into the clearing.

The paw turned into legs, and to legs a body of a spirit-Darkness.

Standing by his side stood a triumphant Traya, still in Moonpaw's body. An evil smile escaped her lips, revealing her sharp teeth and claws starting to unsheath.

Dark Warriors of all surrounded and completely covered the normally peaceful place for the Gathering, and they didn't just surround the Clan cats. They were ultimately _trapped._

The Clans were outnumbered, that was for sure. Only an average-sized group of cats from each of the four Clans were present, with what seemed like the entirety of Darkness' army against them.

All of the leaders of the Clans knew they weren't getting out of this situation without a fight.

Some cats were snarling threateningly at the Dark Warriors and the spirits, while some, such as younger apprentices, cowarded in fear behind the more experienced warriors.

Echopaw bunched up her muscles, attempting to anticipate on who would make the first move to lead to battle.

The air still silent, pensive, and filled with tension, cats both Dark Warriors and Clans alike staring at each other threateningly.

 **To Be Continued...**


End file.
